


Just Out Of Reach (Come Back To Me)

by chasing_ghosts (Betweenthelines5)



Category: Wynonna Earp - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Minor Champ and Waverly, Nicole is Daddy AF, Slow Burnish, Someone Help These Two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-07-07 23:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15918147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Betweenthelines5/pseuds/chasing_ghosts
Summary: Nicole left town without so much as a goodbye.Waverly was left broken-hearted and angry.Wynonna is just along for the ride.Or the AU where Nicole misunderstood an entire situation and decided to skip town with her best friend only to realize running was the dumbest thing she could’ve done.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Gonna be... no idea how many chapters long. Enjoy the ride.

Nicole stood in front of the floor length mirror in her bedroom, unable to tear her eyes away from herself; even after all these months she still couldn’t believe the person she was looking at was her. She was still taller than most of the girls her age but she was no longer the awkward and lanky ginger that wore too many layers and avoided others at all costs. No, that wasn’t her anymore and she would be damned if she ever became that person again, someone who would cower at the littlest things for fear of messing up; it’s what cost her everything in the first place.

 

Sighing, Nicole ran her fingers through her short, choppy, shoulder length hair and made her way over to her closet to grab her jacket. She still remembers the day she cut her hair, when she was angry and sad and wanted any part of who she was to just disappear. Even though the action was small, the change was exactly what she needed and it had felt like a weight had been taken off her shoulders, making her feel like she could breathe for the first time in a long time.

 

“Nic, if you don’t get movin’ you’re gonna be late for your first day.” Albert Haught said, from just outside her door. He still hadn’t said much to her since she got back from her summer away but he was slowly starting to warm back up to her.

 

“I know, dad.” Nicole said, smiling triumphantly when she felt the familiar leather of her favorite jacket; she tugged it from off the hanger and tucked it under her arms.

 

“Your mom made some breakfast, you should eat before you go.” Albert said, before shuffling off back down the hallway.

 

“I will!” Nicole called after him as she grabbed her wallet, phone and keys. She double-checked to make sure she had all she needed and headed out of her room and towards the kitchen.

 

“Morning sweetie.” Kathryn Haught greeted, pressing a kiss to Nicole’s cheek as the younger redhead sat down at the kitchen table. “How’d you sleep?”

 

Nicole didn’t miss the underlying question her mother was asking but she chose to ignore it; it had been her first night back at home in three months but she didn’t want to tell them why. “It was fine, mom.” She looked at the food on the table. “Breakfast looks good, thanks.”

 

Kathryn smiled and sat across from her, just happy to have her daughter back; she had an idea of why the eighteen year old left the day after the school year ended but she didn’t want to come right and ask. “Your… your tattoos, I like them. There’s so- many.” She said, nodding at the sleeve on Nicole’s left arm. “Very nice.”

 

“Just wanted a change.” Nicole shrugged. “Kinda felt right.”

 

“Stupid is what it was.” Albert said, coming to sit down at the table himself. “You disappear without so much as a goodbye, spend almost all of the money we gave you and come back like nothing happened. Where’s my little girl?”

 

“I’m still here.” Nicole said simply.

 

“Those tattoos, that thing in your nose, that hair, none of it is you.” Albert growled. “You’re different, Nicole and I can’t just act like you aren’t.”

 

“Just because my physical appearance has changed and I don’t cower and hide away anymore doesn’t mean I’m not me.” Nicole said, pushing her plate away. “I needed to get away, okay? I felt like I was suffocating by staying here in Purgatory.”

 

“So you left with the Earp girl and what? Just went a little crazy?” Albert scoffed. “That’s not good enough for me.”

 

“Honey, maybe we should talk about this later?” Kathryn suggested, seeing the look of agitation on their daughter’s face. “She does need to get to school.”

 

“Fine.” Albert said, shaking his head. “Tonight, we talk though. So come home right after school. Understood?”

 

Nicole nodded and stood up, the chair scraping loudly against the linoleum; she pulled her jacket on over her arms, “I’m sorry I disappeared and I’m sorry I didn’t call as much as I should’ve but I’m not going to apologize for leaving because that wouldn’t be true.”

 

“Have a good day at school, Nic.”

 

///

 

“You look like shit.”

 

Nicole rolled her eyes as she saw Wynonna sitting on her bike just outside the house, “Good to see you too, Wynonna.”

 

“You sure you wanna do this? I’m sure if we went back to New York, we’d still have those jobs waiting for us. It’s only been, what, a week?”

 

“I told you it was just for the summer.” Nicole said, grabbing her helmet. “I needed to get away for a little while but I’m better now.”

 

“I’m sure as shit you’re a liar.”

 

“We couldn’t run forever.” Nicole said, sliding onto the seat. “Even if I wanted to.”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t the one runnin’, Haught.” Wynonna said, “I handle my problems like a real lady; with whiskey and sex.”

 

Nicole snorted out a laugh, “Fuck off.”

 

“Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?”

 

“I hate you.”

 

Wynonna gasped and flipped her off, “The feeling is mutual, shithead.”

 

“Thank you.” Nicole said, pausing her motions to look to Wynonna. “For everything, for going with me.”

 

“Don’t worry about it, dude.” She paused. “She, uh, she asked about you this morning.”

 

Nicole tensed slightly, “Oh…”

 

“Yeah.” Wynonna said, looking up to meet Nicole’s eyes. “Look, I don’t know what happened to you two and it’s none of my business but she’s hurting too.”

 

“I just... Is she upset with you?”

 

“Well, she’s currently not talking to me at the moment, so.”

 

“Cause you left?”

 

“Cause I left with you and didn’t tell her we were together for weeks.” Wynonna said, “Gus said she’s had a shit summer; she’s been worried about you.”

 

“We should get to school.” Nicole said, jerking her helmet onto her head. “We don’t want to be late for our first day.”

 

Wynonna wanted to ask her a question, something that had been in the back of her mind but before she got a chance to the redhead had already turned her bike on and started to back up. With a sigh, Wynonna started up her own bike and followed after her best friend towards the main road.

 

///

 

“ _Holy shit.”_

_“Is that Haught?”_

_“Talk about Daddy.”_

 

Waverly heard the familiar last name and her heart skipped a beat; she turned her attention away from Chrissy Nedley and her jaw nearly dropped when she spotted the redhead across the hall, a completely different person from just a few months ago. Who once was uncomfortable with even being called on in class and not wanting attention draw to her now couldn’t seem to care at all about all the whispers and stares; Waverly couldn’t believe it.

 

“How dare she!” Waverly hissed, shoving her things into her best friend’s arms before making her way down the hallway, her jaw clenched. She pushed through several girls and came to a stop directly in front of Nicole, eyes narrowed in anger. “You!”

 

Nicole looked down at her, eyes widening a bit in a surprise, “Wave-“

 

 _Slap_.

 

Nicole stumbled back a bit, bring her hand up to her cheek, “Waverly-“

 

“I hate you.” Waverly said, blinking back tears; she didn’t care that everyone’s attention was on them. “How could you leave me? You said you wouldn’t and you did.”

 

“I needed to get out of town.” Nicole tried to defend herself as she straightened up.

 

“No, you needed to get away from me.” Waverly said, refusing to acknowledge how much more attractive Nicole was. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”

 

“I tried-“

 

“Don’t you lie to me Nicole Haught.” Waverly spit. “You left because you’re too much of a coward. Did I mean so little to you that you couldn’t even tell me goodbye? You just disappeared!”

 

“Can we talk about this later?” Nicole asked, noticing the growing crowd; she didn’t want everyone knowing their business.

 

Before Waverly could shut her down, strong arms possessively wrapped around her waist and she could swear she could hear a snarl come from Champ’s throat, “Hey baby.” Champ said, pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek as he glared at Nicole “What’re you doin?”

 

Nicole stared at Waverly in disbelief, “You’ve to to be fucking kidding me.”

 

Waverly tensed and went to pull away from Champ but his grip only tightened around her small frame, “Nicole…”

 

“Don’t. Don’t you dare try to make me feel bad for what I did when you clearly didn’t care as much as you say you did.” Nicole said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she watched the wannabe rodeo cowboy manhandle the brunette. “You don’t care that I left, you care that you didn’t have someone to walk all over.”

 

“I think that’s enough.” Wynonna said, just as the warning bell for first period rang throughout the halls. She grabbed at Nicole jacket but the redhead shrugged her off, “Come on dude, we should get to class.”

 

Nicole stared at Waverly for a minute longer, a mix of emotions running through her mind before she turned on her heel and took off out the main entrance.

 

Coming home was a terrible idea.


	2. Chapter Two

“Thought I’d find you here, baby girl.” Wynonna said as she found Waverly hidden away in the back of the library. She squeezes her way between several too close shelves and falls, albeit a little ungracefully, into the empty space next to her sister. “Wave, you do know they don’t get homework on the first day, right? Even if you’re in all those smarty pants classes.”

 

Waverly doesn’t acknowledge her and flips her book to the next page.

 

Wynonna sighed and started to play with a loose string on her jeans; she hated when Waverly was upset with her. “I’m sorry I left.”

 

“I don’t care that you left.” Waverly mumbled, refusing to look at Wynonna.

 

“You have to be a little mad.” Wynonna said, nudging Waverly. “Come on, you can’t stay mad at me forever you know. I came back.”

 

Waverly huffed and slammed her book closed before she turned to look at the older brunette. “Why did you let her leave? Why didn’t you tell her to stay?”

 

“Nicole couldn’t stay, Waves.” Wynonna said slowly. “I don’t know what happened but she told me she was leavin’ and I couldn’t just let her go by herself. I knew if I didn’t go with her, she probably wouldn’t of come back to us.”

 

“You don’t know that.” Waverly said softly.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Wynonna said. “You didn’t see her, okay? All the nights I said I was out with Dolls and Doc? It was bullshit, all of it. Most of the time I was picking a drunk Nicole up in the middle of nowhere and trying to sober her up before I took her home. I saw my best friend go from a happy, weird little nerd who cared so much about everyone to a shell of herself pretty much over night. It hurt to see her like that and I couldn’t just abandon her.”

 

Waverly tensed, taking a moment to collect herself before she spoke again, “She’s my… was my friend too, you know. You didn’t have to keep that from me.”

 

“She asked me too.” Wynonna said, meeting Waverly’s eyes for the first time since their conversation started. “I have an idea of what happened. I notice a lot more than either of you like to think. You can talk to me, always, okay?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re implying, Wy, but we weren’t anything more than friends.” Waverly said, growing frustrated. “Can we please change the subject?”

 

Wynonna held her hands up in surrender, “Alright, whatever you want, kid.”

 

“Thank you.” Waverly said, opening her book back up once more.

 

“So, uh, Champ Hardy?” Wynonna said, after a few seconds of silence.

 

“He’s nice and was there for me when you left.” Waverly said, “He isn’t what you think he is.”

 

“You mean he’s not a conceded, overly possessive rodeo clown who wears too much cologne?” Wynonna snorted, “Yeah, okay.”

 

“You don’t get to come back after traveling from god knows where and judge my dating life!” Waverly said, standing up. “You and Nicole don’t own me and you both shouldn’t make me feel guilty for choosing to handle my life how I want it! I can date who I want and I won’t apologize for that. I make my own decisions.”

 

Wynonna looked at her, an eyebrow raised in question, “No one cares who you date, baby girl. Even if he is the most annoying man-child alive, if he makes you happy, that’s all that matters.”

 

“Great!” Waverly said, shoving her things back into her backpack. “If Nicole has a problem with it, she can come to me directly but until then you can take her judgement self elsewhere!”

 

Wynonna stared at Waverly, taken aback and very much confused at the sudden outburst; all she wanted to know about was her relationship with Champ. Before she could get a chance to apologize or ask her sister what was actually wrong (there was so much more than Waverly was letting on), the youngest Earp stormed out of the library.

 

///

 

“What happened with you and my sister?”

 

Nicole looked up from her phone, “What are you talkin’ about?”

 

“I don’t know!” Wynonna said, searching her pockets to try to find her cigarettes.

 

Nicole watched her struggle for a moment before hand her the rest of her cigarette, “Here.”

 

“Thanks.” Wynonna said as she took a puff. “So, tell me what’s going on?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

 

Wynonna groaned, irritated at being left in the dark, “Bullshit. One minute you and Waverly were hanging out all the time, ditching plans with me just to spend time together and the next I’m picking you up from the police station and begging Nedley not to tell your parents. You aren’t one to just up and leave. So. What. Happened?”

 

“Wynonna…”

 

“If you’re about to tell me you’re in love with Waverly and she broke your heart-“

 

“It’s complicated.” Nicole said. “That’s all you need to know.”

 

“You fucked, didn’t you?”

 

Nicole’s eyes widened, “Excuse me?”

 

“You can tell me if you did, I won’t be upset. I might punch you for taking my sister’s virginity but that’s about it.” Wynonna said. “Oh! Or did you kiss her and she reject you? Confess your love?”

 

“I felt like I was suffocating in my own skin and needed to leave. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m finally myself, can we just leave it at that?”

 

Wynonna tossed the cigarette butt onto the ground, stomping it out; she narrowed her eyes at the redhead. “For now, we’ll leave it to your bullshit excuses.”

 

“It’s not bullshit.”

 

“Look Haught, I love this bad girl persona as the next person but you went from zero to sixty and I wanna know why. You’re obviously not gonna tell me right now and you probably won’t tell me for a while but just know that I’m here, when and if you wanna talk.”

 

Nicole nodded, “Thanks.”

 

“Anytime.” Wynonna said. “You know I got you.”

 

“My ass is numb and I’m starving but I _really_ don’t want to go home.” Nicole said as she looked down over their small town. “My parents want to talk to me.”

 

“About you skipping town and spending all of their money?”

 

“I highly doubt they care about the money.” Nicole said, and she was right. Both of her parents were lawyers for a tech company and they were pretty comfortable; she knew her spending money wasn’t the problem.

 

“Just wait till they heard you skipped your first day.”

 

Nicole turned to flip her off, “I told him I was gay, he didn’t care, he supported me. I came home last night and it was like he was disgusted with me. He told me I’m not his little girl, I mean, I’m not but he was genuinely angry with me and he’s never been before.”

 

“You have parents that actually care about you. Parents that put money in a college fund and help you out in any way that they can. You left without a word and spent an entire summer running all over the country.” Wynonna said. “I’m sure as shit they’re pissed but they’re gonna get over it.”

 

“I’m just not used to them looking at me like I’m the disappointment.”

 

“I can give you some pointers?”

 

Nicole rolled her eyes and stood up, dusting the grass and dirt from her jeans, “It’s late, won’t Gus be wondering where in the hell you are?”

 

“I told her I was out with you, she’ll be fine.” Wynonna said, waving her off. She made her way over to her own bike before pausing to turn to look back at Nicole. “She’ll come around, you know. Champ is just a phase.”

 

“Goodnight Wynonna.”

 

///

 

“Where have you been all day?” Albert Haught asked, barely giving Nicole time to step through over the threshold before he was in front of her. “The school called and said you didn’t show up to any of your classes, wanted to know if you were alright.”

 

“I wasn’t ready to go back yet.” Nicole said. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”

 

Albert looked at her, eyes hard and face red with anger, “You used to never do this. You never missed school and you actually acted like you gave a damn. Do you have any idea what hell you put us through this entire summer?”

 

“Dad…”

 

“No, you don’t get to talk.” Albert said, pointing to the living room. “Sit. Now.”

 

Nicole sighed, dropping her keys into the bowl before making her way into the living room and sitting down on the couch. “Where’s mom?”

 

“She’s upstairs on the phone with your sister.” Albert said, sitting across from her. “What’s going on Nic? I’m trying so hard to understand where all of this is coming from but I just don’t see it.

 

“I… I know I shouldn’t have let without talking to you guys first but it was kinda of a last minute thing and-“

 

“Are you on drugs? Have you gotten into some trouble, is that it?”

 

“No, I-“

 

“If you didn’t pay someone what you should’ve-“

 

“Dad, it’s not like that!” Nicole said, cutting him off. “It’s not like that at all.”

 

“Then what is it?” Albert asked. “Everything about you has changed and I’m worried about you.”

 

“Honestly?”

 

Albert nodded, “Help me understand you, please.”

 

“Waverly rejected me.” Nicole said, after what felt like forever; she refused to meet his eyes.

 

Albert’s eyes widened in shock before softening, a looked of sadness on his face, “I didn’t know you two were together.”

 

“We weren’t, not really.” Nicole said, voice barely above a whisper. She didn’t want to talk about this, especially not with her dad, but she knew she owed him some sort of truth. “I don’t really want to talk about it. I just need you to know that I couldn’t handle the pain of it and I left. I took Wynonna with me and I spent the summer traveling and experiencing new things with my best friend.

 

“And the tattoos, the rest of it?”

 

Nicole shrugged, “It was an alternate to harming myself. I didn’t realize how lost I was, how much I didn’t even know myself until I left. I learned so much about who I was and I met so many people who helped me rid the pain, even for a little bit. I told you I was sorry for leaving earlier, and I meant that, but I’m not sorry that I had to do it.”

 

“Are you happy now?” Kathryn asked from the doorway; she had been standing there the last several minutes listening to her daughter.

 

“I’m getting there.” Nicole said. “I still have a lot to work on but at least I have an idea on where to start. I’m sorry that I let you down.”

 

“We wish you would’ve just talked to us.” Kathryn said, coming to sit next to her. “We would’ve been okay with you leaving, especially with Wynonna, but you just needed to talk to us.”

 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Nicole said. “I just got so upset and I left.”

 

“Just don’t do it again without at least talking to us first.”

 

Nicole nodded, “Okay.”

 

“I’m sorry I got angry with you this morning.” Albert said, reaching over the coffee table to squeeze her hand. “You know how I am with emotions.”

“It’s alright, I deserved it for what I put you guys through.”

 

“A broken heart can be one of the worst things you ever deal with in life and it can knock you off your feet but it can also bring out a side of you that you never knew you had. It will make you stronger and aware of things you never knew before.” Kathryn said. “I’m sorry you had to experience that so young but somewhere out there, there’s someone for you.”

 

“I can’t be upset with her for not wanting to be with me, I can’t force her to have feelings if she doesn’t.” Nicole said and she meant it. “It just sucks when you thought you meant something to someone when you really didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda a filler chapter, I know. Wanted to get it out of the way before we really got into the story. Nicole and Waverly will talk soon. I’m sure you’re wondering what actually went down between Wayhaught and it will be acknowledged sometime soon.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one said this was going to be an easy journey. Sometimes people really fuck up and lose themselves and who they are. You hurt the people you love, you become a different person. Hell, sometimes even though you try your hardest, things just don’t work out. I have two endings to this story, one happy, one not. I’m going with what I feel is right. If you don’t like it, please leave. I don’t cater to anyone but myself.
> 
> Those of you who support me and this story, thank you.

“Dude, let me see your schedule!” Wynonna said, tearing the piece of paper from Nicole’s hands as the redhead stepped out of the main office three days later.

 

Nicole had chosen to stay home for a few days after her talk with her parents to get her head right and recuperate. Seeing Waverly had brought back all of the feelings she had pushed down and it had thrown her off balance. One of the only reasons she even decided to come back was because she wanted to graduate on time with everyone else.

 

Wynonna whistled low, shoving the schedule back into Nicole’s hands, “You should’ve just stayed home.”

 

“What?” Nicole asked, confused. “Why?”

 

“You have every class but AP History with Waverly.” Wynonna said, deciding to just rip off the Band-Aid. “Surprise, she’s graduating with us.”

 

“She’s what?” Nicole asked, eyes wide.

 

“What can I say, baby girl’s smart.” Wynonna said. “Lets just hope this isn’t some wannabe romantic comedy and you two get paired together and slowly start to fall for each other. Talk about gross.”

 

Nicole punched her shoulder, “You’re not helping the situation.”

 

“I don’t know the situation.” Wynonna pointed out. “I keep asking you to tell me what happened so I have a better understanding but you, Tater Haught, won’t tell me shit.”

 

“If you call me that again, I will punch you in the face.” Nicole said. “You know I hate it.”

 

Wynonna shrugged, “I’m your best friend, I’m supposed to annoy the shit outta you.”

 

Nicole looked down at her schedule, “Do I really have almost all of my classes with her?” She asked, feelings the nerves form low in her belly. Going to the same school and occasionally seeing each other was a lot different than having to be in the same rooms all day.

 

“Maybe Principal Moody can feel the tension between you guys too?” Wynonna said. “Don’t be selfish, Nicole, he’s probably sad and lonely and wants a little drama in his life. Let him live what little life he has left with joy.”

 

“You’re the biggest asshole, you know that?” Nicole said, shaking her head.

 

“Yeah, but you love me.” Wynonna said, bumping her hip. “Good news though, we have Chemistry together. We can blow shit up!”

 

“How the fuck are you in my AP Chemistry class?” Nicole asked; they might be best friends and deal with a lot of things the same way but they were not on the same page when it came to school. Wynonna didn’t care and Nicole actually did, it was the one thing they were polar opposites on.

 

“I cheated, duh.” Wynonna said, as if it was the most obvious things in the world. “How do you think I passed all my classes last year?”

 

The bell rang out and Nicole let out a breath, “Do you think I can still graduate on time if I skip all but one of my classes?” She asked, somewhat seriously.

 

“I wish.” Wynonna said, slinging her backpack onto her shoulder. “You sure you gonna be okay with sharing the same classes with her? I’m sure it isn’t too late to change all of your courses.”

  
“Even if I change my classes, I’m still going to see her. You’re my best friend and she’s your sister, it’s not like we can just avoid each other forever.” Nicole said, realizing the truth in her words. “Might as well get it over with, right?”

  


“It’s okay to admit that she hurt you.”

  
“She didn’t.”

  
Wynonna rolled her eyes and took of towards her first period class, “Just know that I’m here when you’re ready to talk, Haught! You can only keep me in the dark for so long!”

  
///

  
“Ah, Miss Haught, how nice of you to join us.” Ms. Lucado greeted sarcastically as Nicole walked into the classroom. “I do not have time to play catch up and I do not allow tardiness. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow after school for detention. You can get up to date on what you’ve missed so far then.”

  
Nicole internally groaned; she’d heard the rumors that Lucado was a tough teacher, all work and no play and it was very obvious that the rumors were true. “Yes ma’am.”

  
Ms. Lucado turned her attention back to her laptop, “Miss Earp has an empty seat next to her in the back of the classroom. If she wants to, she can catch you up on what we’re doing today. Otherwise, you can just sit there and do nothing for the next hour.”

  
“Oh, fuck me.” Nicole mumbled, turning to see Waverly at the back of the class, a book out in front of her. Of course something like this would happen to her and she would have no other choice but to face the person who broke her heart head on.

  
“What was that?” Ms. Lucado asked.

  
“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Nicole said, releasing the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. She sighed and made her way to the back of the classroom, sitting down next to Waverly at their shared table.

  
Waverly stared at her book for a moment too long before she looked to Nicole, “Since when do you not care about school?” She asked.

  
Nicole shrugged, “I wasn’t feeling well.”

  
“You’ve always been a terrible liar.” Waverly said softly.

  
Nicole snorted, “At least I have standards.”

  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

  
Nicole shook her head, “Forget it. Can you tell me what we’re supposed to be doing or are you really going to just let me sit here?”

  
Waverly was taken aback by Nicole’s coldness towards her but she ignored it as she started to go over what their class had been assigned so far. “We’re reading Macbeth, but I know you’ve read it multiple times so you’re allowed to read something else. Lucado just wants a three page paper by the end of the week.”

  
“It’s Thursday.”

  
“Guess you should’ve come to school.”

  
///

  
“I can’t believe you got us detention.” Nicole said, shaking her head in disbelief as she followed Wynonna out of the cafeteria. They were the only ones in detention that day and were let out a half hour early because Wynonna apologize over and over to their chemistry teacher just so they could leave. “That’s the second one given to me today.”

  
“Wait, you have another detention?” Wynonna held her hand up for a hi-five. “Score!”

  
Nicole ignored the hi-five, “Yes, tomorrow afternoon. Lucado’s an ass and gave me one for not showing up the past three days. I can already tell her class is gonna be a bitch.”

  
“You should’ve just taken regular English with me.” Wynonna said. “We’ve already watched two movies this week.”

  
“Were either of them to further your learning?” Nicole asked, an eyebrow raised in question.

  
“I learned that Disney is homophobic because they won’t let Elsa be a lesbian. They need to let go of their issues. Love is love, man.” Wynonna paused. “No, no we haven’t learned shit.”

  
“I’ll take my chances with Lucado then.” Nicole said, shoving her backpack into her locker; any homework she had she finished in her study hall and detention.

  
“Suit yourself.” Wynonna said, heading towards the bathroom across the hall. “I gotta piss like a racehorse but I’ll meet you outside?”

  
Nicole nodded, “Wanna go for a ride?”

  
“Fuck yeah I do!” Wynonna said, stepping into the bathroom. “Be out in five!”

  
Nicole nodded and made her way down the hall towards the student parking lot. She was almost towards the front door when she was cut off by none other than Champ Hardy. Nicole looked at him, a bored look on her face, “Can I help you?”

  
“You think that now that you’re back, you can try and take my girl?”

  
“Who, Waverly?” Nicole laughed. “Go home, Champ. I’m not playing this game with you.”

  
“She chose me, you know.” Champ said, “You were just an experiment at best. Everyone saw how you followed her around like a lost puppy, always doing her bidding. You tried to corrupt her with your disgusting ways and it didn’t work.”

  
Nicole knew he was trying to rile her up and it was working, she was never good with her temper. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  
“You told her you loved her.” Champ said. “No wonder she ran.”

  
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nicole snarled.

  
“She ran right into my arms.” Champ whistled, “God, and she gave herself up so easily. All it took was a few nice words, a bunch of bullshit and she was letting me inside of her. Over and over and over again.”

  
Nicole clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. “That’s enough.”

  
“All those times you touched her. All of those times you manipulated her into feeling things she didn’t actually feel, it was all forgotten.” Champ smirked “You were forgotten.”

  
Nicole lunged at Champ, knocking him to the floor. “You don’t know a damn thing, Hardy. Don’t you dare accuse me of taking advantage of Waverly.” She punched him in the face. “She isn’t just some piece of meat you can parade around. She isn’t property.”

  
Champ growled and shot up, throwing Nicole onto her back; his eyes were blown and he was in a rage. He punched Nicole repeatedly, grunting and groaning at every hit he landed. “She’s MY girlfriend. Mine! She was so wrapped up in you, she ignored me for months! All you are is trash. You’re disgusting.”

  
Nicole wrapped her fingers around his throat, trying to get some of the pressure off her body but it was no use. Champ was bigger and stronger and completely out of his mind. “Get. Off. Of. Me.” She said, spitting out blood.

  
Champ slammed his fist into her torso, “You stay away from her, you dyke!”

  
“That’s enough outta you, Hardy.” Wynonna said, grabbing the collar of Champ’s shirt and jerking him off her best friend. She had walked in on the fight and it had only taken a second for the shock to wear off and for her to step into action. She pressed the heel of her boot into his chest. “You have three seconds to get the-“

  
“Wynonna, what are you doing! Get off of him!”

  
Wynonna turned to see Waverly, eyes wide and full of panic. “Baby girl…”

  
Waverly rushed over to Champ, seemingly ignoring Nicole, who was now up against the lockers trying to get ahold of herself. She shoved Wynonna off of her boyfriend and knelt down to cup his face, “What on earth happened to you?” She asked.

  
“Haught.” Champ said, falsely playing the victim. “I was on my way to practice and she came outta nowhere, baby. She was tellin’ me about how she fucked you and then she hit me in the face. All I did was defend myself.”

  
Nicole glared at Champ, “Why you little-”

  
“I don’t want to hear a word out of you!” Waverly snapped at Nicole. “How could you?”

  
Nicole stared at her, dumbfounded. How in the hell could Waverly think that she would ever say anything about their time together to anyone? Did Waverly not see how bruised and bloody she was compared to Champ? Did Waverly hate her so much that she was willing to ignore the obvious truth of the situation.

  
“Wave, open your eyes.” Wynonna said, kneeling to check over Nicole. “Since when has Nicole ever spoken badly about you? He beat the shit out of her, how are you going to ignore that?”

  
Waverly looked from Wynonna to Nicole and in that moment she realized how badly hurt Nicole was. A part of her, deep down inside her chest, a part that had been locked away for months, cracked slightly. She saw the busted lip and the broken nose, all the blood and bruises forming but she was still so angry at the redhead and so, even if it wasn’t the right thing to do, she chose to blame her for what happened. “If Champ said he was defending himself, then that’s what he was doing.”

  
“Baby.” Champ whined from behind the three girls; he wanted attention on himself. “I think I need you to patch me up. I’m hurt all over.”

  
“Come on.” Waverly said, struggling to help him up. “I’ll take you home, I’ll take care of you.”

  
Champ nodded and leaned against her body, letting her lead him out of the school. When they were almost out the double doors, he turned around, a wicked smile on his face. “I won’t be pressing charges.” He said with a glint in his eye; he won and he knew it.

  
“I’m gonna end his life.” Wynonna said, going to stand up but she was pulled back down by Nicole. She looked down at her best friend, “Why you holdin’ me back, he deserves death.”

  
“Because I-“ Nicole’s eyes fluttered; she had taken way too many hits to the face and as the adrenaline began to wear off, she started to lose consciousness.

  
///

  
Wynonna burst into Waverly’s room that night, a growl slipping from her lips as she saw Champ curled up and asleep on the bed. “Get him out of here.” She said, voice sharp and in no mood to argue.

  
“He’s hurt Wynonna and his parents aren’t home.” Waverly said. “I told him he could stay here.”

  
“You get him to leave now or I will do it myself.” Wynonna said, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. “You and I need to talk.”

  
“It’s been a long day, can we please do this tomorrow?”

  
“Now, Waverly.” Wynonna said.

  
Waverly sighed and nudged Champ, “Sweetie, I need you to wake up.”

  
Champ jolted awake, “What? What happened?”

  
“It’s time for you to go home.” Waverly said, running her fingers through his hair; she was somewhat relieved that she wouldn’t have to spend the night with him and his possessive grip he held on her throughout the night. Champ was her comfort and although he wasn’t the best boyfriend, he had been there for her during her darkest times and she owed him.

  
“But it’s late.” Champ said sleepily but sat up nonetheless. “I wanna stay and cuddle.”

  
“Oh, stop acting like a toddler and get the fuck out.” Wynonna said, her patience gone. “I need to talk to my sister and I’m already sick of looking at your face.”

  
“Waverly…”

  
“Go Champ, I’ll call you later.” Waverly said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  
“Fine.” Champ huffed, standing up and gathering his things; he kissed Waverly roughly and pushed past Wynonna. “How’s your little friend?”

  
“She’s in the hospital with a concussion, several broken ribs and a broken face.” Wynonna said. “If you think that’s bad, wait until you see what I’m going to do to you.”

  
Champ swallowed thickly. “You wouldn’t.”

  
Wynonna stepped closer to him, “Oh, I would.” She patted him on the shoulder, “Sleep tight, buddy. You never know when I’m coming for you.”

  
Champ went to say something but decided against it, Wynonna genuinely terrified him; he mumbled a final goodbye to Waverly before he left the Homestead.

  
Wynonna looked at Waverly, “Nicole’s in the hospital.”

  
“The hospital?” Waverly asked, unable to keep the worry from her voice.

  
“Nicole won’t tell me what happened and that’s fine but you, you’re going to talk and you’re going to tell me everything I want to know.” Wynonna said, “Right here, right now.”

  
“There isn’t much to tell.” Waverly said, averting her gaze.

  
“I’m so sick of the secrecy!” Wynonna spat angrily. “My best friend is laying in a hospital bed because of your boyfriend and all I keep thinking about is how the last time she was in one, she almost died.”

  
“What are you talking about? Nicole’s never been in the hospital before.” Waverly said. “Well, not since she broke her arm in fourth grade.”

  
“Do you know if I had let her leave without me, she probably wouldn’t be here today?” Wynonna said, sitting down on top of Waverly’s desk. “I wouldn’t of been there the night she took it too far and almost bled out on the bathroom floor.”

  
“Wynonna, you’re not making any sense.”

  
“Nicole almost killed herself.” Wynonna said, “A few days after we left. We were in some shitty hotel and we had way too much to drink. I went across the street to grab us something to eat and when I came back, she was bleeding out on the bathroom floor. She had used on of the beer tops to cut into her skin.”

  
Waverly stared at Wynonna in shock, “You’re lying.”

  
“I told the doctor we got a little drunk and she caught her wrist on a sharp edge of the sink.” Wynonna said. “I didn’t want them to take her away.”

  
“You told me you spent the entire trip traveling.” Waverly said. “You lied to me?”

  
Wynonna shook her head, “I didn’t lie. We traveled, a lot. Never stayed in one place for too long.”

  
“But Nicole.”

  
“Nicole became a shell of herself.” Wynonna said. “She drank every night, hopped into bed with any girl she could and didn’t care about the consequences. She was reckless in every way. The tattoos and the piercings? She got those on the nights she felt her lowest so she wouldn’t hurt herself again; she found a way to cope. The traveling helped I think. Purgatory was suffocating her.”

  
“Nicole tried to kill herself?”

  
Wynonna shook her head, “I don’t think she wanted to die, Wave, I just think she didn’t want to feel for a little while. With a little alcohol and a broken heart, she accidentally took it too far.”

  
“It’s all my fault.” Waverly said. “I… It’s all my fault.”

  
“What’s your fault?”

  
“I’m the reason Nicole left.” Waverly said, speaking the words she’s thought for months, out loud for the first time. “I’m the reason Nicole changed who she was.”

  
“How in the fuck do you think that?”

  
“Because.” Waverly sighed, meeting Wynonna’s eyes. “I told her I didn’t love her.”

 

 

 


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to Nicole’s summer and what changed. Waverly’s will show up later on.

_Waverly dug her nails into the mattress as quiet moans slipped from her lips, her hips bucking as a warm tongue ran through her folds. She was so close; she could feel her orgasm approaching fast and it was taking everything in her to not cry out in pleasure and alert Gus who was right downstairs._

_“Shh, baby, you don’t want to get us caught.” Nicole said, having momentarily pulled away from Waverly, nipping playfully at the younger girl’s thighs. “You gotta be a good girl.”_

_Waverly huffed, annoyed that Nicole’s mouth was no longer on her body. “You’re an ass.”_

_Nicole gave her a look, “That’s no way to talk to me, is it?”_

_“I’m sorry, okay?” Waverly said, a frown on her face. “I’m so close. Will you please continue?”_

_Nicole shrugged, running her fingers up slick thighs, barely grazing over Waverly’s wet heat. “I don’t know if you deserve it, you being so demanding and all.”_

_“I hate how you go from cute, adorable dork to cocky, asshole as soon as we’re in bed. It isn’t fair.” Waverly said, squirming as Nicole bumped her clit. “Nicole, I swear to God if you do-“_

_Nicole swallowed Waverly’s words as she kissed her, taking the momentary distraction to push two fingers inside Waverly. She started a fast, rough pace, knowing that was exactly what the brunette would need to tip over the edge._

_Waverly whimpered as Nicole hit a particularly spot and before she even realized, she was thrown into one of the best orgasms she had ever had. Nicole continued her menstruations, slowly bringing Waverly down from her high, kissing her softly along her chest and collarbone._

_“Jesus Nic.” Waverly said, once she caught her breath. “That was-“_

_“Amazing? Life-changing? The greatest orgasm you’ve ever had?” Nicole asked, falling into the empty space next to Waverly. “Yeah, I know.”_

_Waverly rolled her eyes and hit the redhead with a pillow, “I hate you.”_

_“No, you don’t.” Nicole said knowingly as she opened her arms._

_“No, I don’t.” Waverly agreed, curling into Nicole’s body with a smile on her face; she always felt so safe in the older girl’s arms. “I hope Gus didn’t hear us.”_

_“She hasn’t the other fifty some times I’ve fucked you senseless.” Nicole said, pulling the sheets over their bodies. She knew they wouldn’t be bothered by the older woman, Gus pretty much stayed to herself._

_“Do you think Wynonna knows? I mean, we’ve ditched her so much lately.” Waverly said, a little guilty._

_“She’s too busy trying to decide on who to be with.” Nicole said. “If she’s not with Henry, she’s with Xavier and I highly doubt she’s even realized that we’ve cancelled on her twice this week.”_

_“I guess…”_

_“Would it be so bad if she knew?” Nicole asked._

_Waverly was silent for a moment. “No, I guess not.”_

_Nicole noticed the small hesitation, “You know she wouldn’t be mad, right? At least, I don’t think she would be.”_

_“It’s not that.” Waverly said, turning so she could see more of Nicole. “I just-“_

_“You don’t want her to think it’s more and make a big deal out of it when it’s really not.”_

_“Does it bother you?”_

_Nicole shook her head, hoping her eyes didn’t give away her lie; she cleared her throat. “No. No. Not at all. It’s just sex, it’s cool.”_

_“Good.” Waverly said, visibly relaxing; she wasn’t ready for anything serious, especially not with Nicole. She only came to realize she was attracted to the redhead a few months prior and it was still very new to her, she didn’t want to commit if she wasn’t sure this wasn’t just a phase._

_“Yeah, good.” Nicole said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Glad we’re on the same page.”_

_///_

_“Nicole!”_

_Nicole stiffened at her name but kept walking, pushing through several of her classmates so she could get to the exit faster. She’d been avoiding Waverly the past few days and up until this moment she’d done a great job of doing so. After a passionate night of sex and too much whiskey, Nicole came to the realization that she was head over heels for the youngest Earp and she was utterly fucked because she knew said person didn’t feel the same. She was a stress reliever, an experiment if anything._

_“Nicole Mackenzie Haught! You stop right there!”_

_Nicole came to a halt, her own body and heart betraying her; she turned towards the angry brunette, a smile on her face, “Hey Waves.”_

_“Don’t you ‘hey’ me, Nicole.” Waverly said, hands on her hips. “Why are you avoiding me?”_

_“I’m not.” Nicole lied. “I’ve been busy.”_

_“Bullshit. Wynonna’s been with Dolls and you have no other friends, no offense.” Waverly said, “So. What. Is. Up? I’ve called and texted and you don’t answer.”_

_“Uh, I’ve had to work?”_

_“If you’re gonna lie to me, come up with something better. Are you sick of our arrangement? Is that it?”_

_Nicole sighed, “Waverly.”_

_“That’s it, isn’t it!” Waverly said._

_“I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore.” Nicole said, making her way outside and towards the student parking lot. “It’s getting too messy.”_

_“Messy? What’s that supposed to mean? We’re just having fun.”_

_“Maybe I don’t want to just have fun!” Nicole said, turning so fast to look at her she almost hit Waverly by accident with her backpack. “Maybe I don’t want just sex anymore!”_

_Waverly saw a few people turn to look at them and she pulled Nicole further away and out of earshot. “What do you mean? Is there someone else?”_

_“God damn it, Waverly, you really don’t get it, do you?”_

_“Get what?” Waverly asked. “What is so wrong with what we’re doing? You’ve been fine with it all year, what’s so different about it now? You agreed to this.”_

_“I know I did but-“_

_“But what?” Waverly asked, starting to get irritated with Nicole. “Will you just spit it out?”_

_“I have feelings for you!” Nicole said, eyes widening as the words spilled from her mouth._

_“You what?” Waverly asked, taking a step back._

_“I… I’m in love with you.” Nicole mumbled. “That’s why I’ve been avoiding you.”_

_“No, you aren’t.” Waverly laughed awkwardly. “Don’t be stupid.”_

_Nicole looked at her, “I’m sorry.”_

_“I- I’m not.” Waverly paused, trying to figure out the right words to say. “I don’t. I’m not.”_

_Nicole saw the panic in her eyes and she felt her heart drop into her stomach; this is exactly why she didn’t tell Waverly sooner, she knew she didn’t feel the same way. “Waverly…”_

_“No, I can’t do this, it’s too much.” Waverly said, taking several more steps back. “It was supposed to just be sex, that’s all. There weren’t supposed to be feelings.”_

_“I didn’t mean for it to happen but I-“_

_Waverly held her hands up, distancing herself even more from the redhead. “I can’t do this. Not now. I- I need to leave. I need to go.” She looked at Nicole for a second longer before she took off in a hurry, her mind going a mile a minute as so many emotions ran through her mind._

_Nicole wiped roughly at her eyes as she watched the brunette run away, unknowingly taking her heart with her. She wished she hadn’t been so careless with her words and she hated herself for making Waverly feel like she couldn’t even be near her because she had broken their one rule and caught feelings._

_Nicole shook her head and made her way over to her car, angry and upset with herself for falling as deep as she did. She had been playing with fire the entire time and hadn’t realized that at some point she was going to get burned._

_///_

_Nicole pulled into the Homestead ready to apologize and say sorry for springing everything on Waverly out of nowhere. She wanted to try and fix what she had broken, if only to assure that they remained friends even after everything. Waverly meant too much to her just to cut all ties because she was in love with her; she was mature enough to push those feelings to the side if it meant she didn’t lose her._

_She parked just a little ways behind Waverly’s Jeep and got out of her car, only to stop when she saw that Waverly was already outside and on the porch. It wasn’t an unusual sight, especially when the weather was as nice as it was except this time Waverly wasn’t alone. Champ Hardy was sitting right next to her on the porch swing, a little too close for comfort._

_Nicole stood rooted to the ground, watching as Champ ran his fingers up Waverly’s thigh, watching as the brunette tossed her head back as she laughed at something he said. Nicole clenched her fists, her entire body aching at the sight in front of her; she looked at them for a moment longer before turning on her heel and heading back to her car._

_Waverly barely looked up when she heard tires crushing gravel._

_///_

_Nicole shot through the front door of her house, barely acknowledging the greetings from her mother as she made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, like she was going to collapse at any second because the pain in her chest was far too much for her to handle. She never expected it to be like this, for things to head south so quickly; she couldn’t believe she actually had any hope at all that Waverly would like someone like her._

_She walked into her bathroom, eyes bloodshot from crying; she tore open her cabinets and drawers, sighing in relief when she found what she was looking for. She pulled the scissors from it’s spot tucked away in the back of the cabinet and without so much of a second thought, started cutting away at her long hair. She watched it fall away into the sink and with ever cut, she felt a piece of her fall away._

_Nicole hissed, pulled away from her thoughts as she felt warm blood drip down her wrist. She dropped the scissors onto the counter and turned on the sink, running cold water over her bleeding fingers. So caught up in her thoughts and the pain of the day, she had accidentally snipped at her fingers._

_“Like this day could get any fuckin’ worse.” Nicole spat, drying her hands on a towel. She grabbed a few band-aids and wrapped the around her fingers before she continued her work on her hair; from the looks of it she wasn’t actually doing a bad job._

_There was a soft knock on her bedroom door, “Nicky, baby, is everything okay?”_

_“I’m fine, mom.” Nicole ran her fingers through her new hair; it was brighter, shorter and choppier. It only made her feel a little bit better. “Just tired is all.”_

 

_“Dinner is ready.” Kathryn said. “Do wanna go ahead and eat? Your father won’t be home for a while.”_

_“I’m not really hungry.” Nicole said, making her way back into her bedroom; she thought of letting her mother into her room but decided against it. She wasn’t really in the mood to be around anyone. “Just save me some for later.”_

_“Is everything okay?” Kathryn asked. “You seem upset.”_

_“Had finals today, was a little stressful. I’m just really tired, I think I’m going to get some sleep.” Nicole said, pulling her clothes off. She grabbed some pajamas from her nightstand and pulled them on. “Is it okay if I skip the last couple days of school? I’ve already finished everything.”_

_“I’ll talk to your father but I’m sure that’ll be just fine.” Kathryn said. “He could use some help at the office before our trip next month.”_

_Nicole internally groaned; she forgot she promised to help them for the next few weeks. “Okay.”_

_“I’ll leave you alone sweetie, but know if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”_

_Nicole crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her body; she turned her phone off and tossed it onto her nightstand. Her anger and shame was slowly starting to fade and all she felt was exhausted. She didn’t even hear her the question her mother asked before she was sound asleep._

_///_

_Nicole 2:31am: I’m leaving for a little bit. I’m not taking my phone with me. Just wanted to let you know._

_Nicole woke hours later, with a strong need to pack her things and leave. Her dreams were full of Waverly and the way the brunette felt against her when they laid together at the Homestead after a night spent together. She woke covered in sweat and full of unwanted memories and the only thing she could think to do was get away from Purgatory, if only to just clear her head._

_She tossed what she would need into an overnight bag, tucked her phone away into her nightstand and got dressed into something more suitable for riding. Normally, she would take her car wherever she went; it was better on gas and quiet but it wasn’t what she wanted. Grabbing the keys to her bike, she double checked to make sure she had what she needed and slipped out of her room, careful to not wake her parents who were right down the hallway._

_Nicole sat at the bottom of the stairs and pulled on her boots, her mind set on only one task; getting away. It was almost summer break and her parents were due to leave for Tokyo soon, so she would just be staying at the house by herself anyways. Now would be the time to get out of town, to travel and to possibly, just maybe, get out of her mind._

_She opened the front door, shivering slightly at the chill in the air and made her way down the porch and to her bike that was parked closer to the garage. Nights like these, when the world was quiet and there was no one else around, was Nicole’s favorite time to ride, to clear her mind. There was no one to bother her or to tell her to slow down; she could ride and ride and not worry about a single thing._

_“What the fuck do you mean you’re leavin’ and not takin’ your phone with you?”_

_Nicole jumped at the voice and turned to see Wynonna parked a little ways away on her own bike, “What are you doing here?” She asked._

_“It’s fucking three in the morning and I get a text from my best friend with red flags all over it.” Wynonna paused. “What the fuck happened to your hair?”_

_“I cut it.” Nicole stated simply._

_“With a chainsaw?” Wynonna asked, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. “My little sister has been at home, locked away in her room all night and she won’t talk to me. Now I find out my best friend plans to leave and… will someone just tell me what the fuck is going on?”_

_“It’s the summer, I want to travel.” Nicole said, grabbing for her helmet. “My parents are leaving the country soon and I’ve got nothing better to do.”_

 

_“And you just now decided to do this?” Wynonna asked, not buying into her shit. “You’re a planner.”_

_“Not anymore.” Nicole said, climbing onto her bike. “I’ll be back by the time school starts and I’ll call you when I’m in a new state.”_

_“Don’t bother.” Wynonna said._

_Nicole looked at her, confused. “What?”_

_Wynonna nodded to a backpack hanging on the back of her bike, “I’m coming with you, Haught.”_

_“You can’t do that.” Nicole said. “What about Waverly?”_

_“You need me more.” Wynonna said. “I left a note for Gus, told her I’d call when I could. You’ve been off the last couple of days and I’m not the only one who’s noticed. I don’t care if you want to do this alone, I’m not letting you.”_

_“Wynonna…”_

_“You can argue all you want.” Wynonna said. “I’m not staying here.”_

_Nicole sighed, “I don’t know where I’m going.”_

_“Does it look like I care?” Wynonna asked._

_“So, that’s it, you’re not gonna ask me why?” Nicole asked, somewhat relieved. Right now, she was solely focused on leaving and therefore her mind wasn’t preoccupied with thoughts of someone who broke her heart._

_“If you want to tell me, you will.” Wynonna said. “If you don’t want to, well, I’ll still get it out of you eventually. What are we waitin’ for, you ready to go?”_

_“You’re gonna get in some shit with Waverly.”_

_“So are you.” Wynonna said, pulling her helmet over her head. “Lead the way, Nicky.”_

_Nicole glared at her as she pulled her own helmet onto her head, “I hate that name so much.”_

_“Alright then, fire crotch, take us away from this hell hole.”_

_Nicole rolled her eyes and slowly started to back out of the driveway; she wouldn’t turn her bike on until they were out of earshot. “I honestly don’t know why I’m friends with you.”_

_///_

  
_“I need sixteen shots of tequila for table 21.”_

_“Two Lemon Drops for the bleach blonde bitches at table 5.”_

_“One fake tan and a boob job at table 7.”_

_Nicole shook her head in amusement as Wynonna spat off random orders to her as they ran some rundown bar some 300 miles away from their hometown. “You’re an ass.”_

_“And you’re not having fun.” Wynonna said. “Come on, we’ve been here a week and you’ve hardly said a full sentence to me. Be emo on your own time.”_

_Nicole handed a beer to an old biker and turned to look at Wynonna, “I just don’t have much to say.”_

_“It’s weird, you’re a talker.” Wynonna said, handing several shots to another customer. “When you said you were leaving, I didn’t know you meant you wanted to work in some rundown bar right off the highway.”_

_“It keeps my mind busy.”_

_“So does drinking whiskey.” Wynonna said, downing a shot of said drink. “At least the drinks are free.”_

_“You’re breaking about five laws by doing that.” Nicole pointed out._

_“And you’re being… not Haught.” Wynonna said, bumping the taller girl’s hip. “I thought we would be in Vegas by now, sleeping with hot strippers and winning a shit ton of money.”_

_“I have money.”_

_“Well I don’t.” Wynonna said. “Do you even know what town we’re in?”_

_“No idea.” Nicole said, “I saw a help wanted sign, took advantage of it. Don’t worry, we’ll be gone by tomorrow morning. Already told Toni we aren’t staying long.”_

_“Oh, thank God.” Wynonna said. “This place is worse than home.”_

_///_

  
_“I’ll go pay for gas.” Wynonna said, nodding towards the small convenience store they were at. “Do you want any snacks?”_

_Nicole shook her head, “I’m fine.”_

_“I’ve only seen you eat twice since we left last week and it’s freaking me out. You’re starting to look like Slenderman. Tall, skinny and lanky.” Wynonna laughed. “Well, more so than usual.”_

_“If you want to make it to Vegas by nightfall, we need to get a move on.”_

_“I’ll be quick.” Wynonna promised. “I just have to make a phone call.”_

_Nicole stiffened; she knew what that meant. Wynonna was going to call Waverly; they had avoided talking about her since they left almost two weeks ago and Nicole was thankful for that. She had an idea that Wynonna knew something was going on between them but she still refused to talk about; instead choosing to help out local bars along the way and sulking in her spare time._

_“I’m going to tell her I’m with you.” Wynonna said. “Is that okay?”_

_“If you want to.” Nicole said. “Not like she’ll give a damn anyways.”_

_Wynonna stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide if she wanted to bite the bullet and ask Nicole what was going on between them or to just leave it. Choosing the latter, she made her way into the convenience store to pay for their gas and call her sister._

  
_///_

  
_“Why can’t you choose between Henry and Xavier?” Nicole asked, a month into their trip. The longer they stayed away from Purgatory, the lighter Nicole felt. But there was still a weight in her heart, anchoring her down; and the more she tried to push it down, hide it away, the more it made itself aware._

_Wynonna paused the television in their hotel room and looked to Nicole, “What?”_

_Nicole took a hardy sip from the bottle of whiskey in her hand and shrugged, “Aren’t you worried that you’re hurting them?”_

_Wynonna’s eyes narrowed as she looked at the redhead; she’d had a feeling that Nicole was getting closer and closer to wanting to talk to her about whatever was going on with her but she had no idea this would be one of the topics. “They know what’s going on.”_

_“That doesn’t make it right.” Nicole said, gulping down a few more sips; she was staring at a burn mark in the carpet, a little tipsy. It was the first night she had drank since they left and although she knew it was a bad idea, she didn’t stop. “Xavier is nice and genuinely cares about you yet you always go back to Henry, whose selfish and uncommitted.”_

_“I don’t know if I’m ready for something serious.” Wynonna said. “And Doc has always been there.”_

_“Henry is shit and you know it.” Nicole said. “All he cares about himself.”_

_“I know he’s made some mistakes but he’s trying to work on them.”_

_Nicole laughed, “Right, and I’m straight.”_

_“I forget how mean you get when you drink whiskey.” Wynonna sighed; she knew Nicole was hurting and if meant she had to take some of the blow, then fine. If this is what her best friend needed to heal, to feel any ounce of normal again, she’d be her punching bag. Besides, she knew what she was doing to Dolls and Doc wasn’t completely okay._

_“You’ve been telling me I’ve been a tight ass all month. Let me have my fun.” Nicole said, swaying; she looked at the tv screen and her eyes grew wide. “Let’s go do that!”_

_Wynonna looked at the screen and laughed, “You want to go get a tattoo?”_

_“I’ve always wanted one.” Nicole said with a nod of her head. “Waverly has one, right above her hip.”_

_Wynonna’s eyes widened at the comment, “What?”_

_“She got one last year with Chrissy Nedley when they went to the big city, used their fake ID’s.” Nicole said, matter of fact. “I… don’t remember what it is.”_

_“She has a fake ID!” Wynonna asked. “How do you know these things and I don’t?”_

_Nicole shrugged, “I wanna be a… a cop. I got indigestion.”_

_“Intuition, you adorable little idiot.” Wynonna laughed. “If you still want a tattoo tomorrow when you’re sober then we’ll go get one together.”_

_“This is why you’re my dude.” Nicole said, drinking more from her bottle. “Is the pizza ready? Can you go get it yet?”_

_“It should be, yeah.” Wynonna said, standing up. “You gonna be okay while I run down the street?”_

_“It’s only Vegas, what could happen?”_

_Wynonna shook her head. “Stay here and don’t move.”_

_“Aye, aye, Captain!” Nicole said, saluting at her. “Bring back ranch.”_

_///_

_Wynonna was gone much longer than she planned to be; not only did the pizza joint mess up their order but she ran in to one of the hottest guys she had ever seen. By the time she got back to the hotel room, it was nearly an hour later and when she walked into the room, she couldn’t believe the scene in front of her. Both beds were torn from the frames, scattered across the floor; the lamps were all shattered and broken and the tv screen was busted, an imprint of a fist sitting right in the middle._

_“Nicole!” She called, stepping over the mess; the pizza long forgotten having been dropped to the floor. She was almost to the bathroom, when she felt a crunch underneath her boot. Bending down, she realized she had stepped on her now shattered burner phone; the screen flashing repeatedly back at her as it was malfunctioning. Staring back at her was a text from Waverly: just keep her safe, okay? And tell her how sorry I am. Can you do that?_

_“FUCK!” Nicole must’ve read the message. Although Wynonna still had no idea what was going on between her sister and best friend, she had an idea. She jumped over the glass from a lightbulb and pushed open the bathroom door. “Nicole- Jesus fuck, what have you done?”_

_Nicole was lying on the bathroom floor, her knuckles broken and bleeding onto the tile floor; she was so drunk she was barely conscious and she was covered in her own vomit. “Leave me alone.” She mumbled, words slurred. “Just wanna die.”_

_Wynonna jerked her up into a sitting position up against the tub, slapping her face to get her to open her eyes. “Keep your eyes open, can you do that?”_

_“I’m so tired.” Nicole said, eyes blinking and trying to focus. “I tried to keep it together but I can’t… I don’t want to anymore. It’s too much.”_

_Wynonna grabbed some towels from off the rack and started to clean Nicole off, pausing abruptly when she noticed a deep gash along Nicole’s forearm. “You dumb fucking ginger, what have you done.” She hissed and stood up. “Come on, you gotta help me. Stand up.”_

_Nicole groaned and shoved Wynonna off the best she could, “Leave me alone.”_

_“You can keep telling me that, buddy but I’m sure as shit not gonna listen.” Wynonna said, pulling Nicole up into a standing position the best she could. She dragged her into the main room and sat her on one of the beds. “I’m going to call and ambulance, okay? Just don’t… try not to die.”_

_Two hours later, Nicole woke up in a hospital room with a killer headache and a pain in her arms and knuckles she couldn’t shake. “What the fuck.”_

_“What the fuck is right.” Wynonna spat from her spot next to Nicole’s bed. “I leave you for one god damn hour and I come back to you barely breathing.”_

_“Don’t be dramatic.” Nicole said. “I just get a little crazy when I’m drunk.”_

_“You almost died, Nicole.” Wynonna said, any ounce of playfulness gone from her voice. “You slit your wrist open and tore apart our hotel room. Why?”_

_“I’m fine, Wynonna.”_

_“Don’t lie to me.” Wynonna said. “Don’t you dare try to lie to me. Do you understand? I’ve been waiting for you to snap for the last month but I wasn’t expecting you to try and off yourself.”_

_“I wasn’t trying to kill myself.” Nicole said. “I was just trying to make the pain stop.”_

_“What happened with you and Waverly?” Wynonna asked. “You read a message from her and from what I can tell, that’s when you flew off the god damn deep end.”_

_“When can I leave?” Nicole asked, sitting up further in the bed._

_“Few hours.” Wynonna said. “I told them you’re clumsy as fuck and cut your wrist. Didn’t think you’d like to be locked up in the psych ward for the next few days.”_

_“Thank you.” Nicole paused. “I’m sorry.”_

_“I don’t want to hear it.” Wynonna said. “You have nothing to be sorry for but if I ever walk in on you like that again, I’ll kill you. You scared the fuck outta me, Haught.”_

_“Where to next?” Nicole asked, refusing to answer all of the Wynonna’s underlying questions. “Cali? New Mexico? Texas? Oh! We should find the biggest Pride parade and go do that. I mean, it is June.”_

_Wynonna sighed, defeated. “We can do whatever you wanna do. Although I hear Cali has some bomb ass parades. Get you around some of your people.”_

_“I wish Purgatory had a Pride.” Nicole said. “I’ve always wanted to go to one.”_

_“You’re terrible at deflecting, you know that right?” Wynonna said, shoving some water into Nicole’s hands. “Drink that. All of it.”_

_“Yes, mother.” Nicole said, doing as she was told. “I feel like shit.”_

_“Well, maybe learn to handle your liquor and you wouldn’t have this problem.” Wynonna said, standing up. “I’m going to go tell the doctor you’re awake and go pay for the damages at the hotel. I’ll be back soon and then we’ll leave.”_

_///_

_The feel of the needle pressing into her skin was a distraction to all the pain she had been feeling the last few weeks; since Waverly broke her heart and shattered it into a million pieces. Nicole and Wynonna were in California, having stopped in a few other states along the way. Los Angeles was busy, always alive even during the late nights and Nicole was in love with it; there wasn’t a time to be silent, to think about how they had to go home in a month._

_“Your parents are gonna freak.” Wynonna said from her spot in front of the mirror; she was looking at her new tattoo just below her ribcage. “Cool though.”_

_Nicole shrugged, “It’s my life, I can do what I want.”_

_“I’d rather this be your outlet for pain then… other things.” Wynonna said, coming to sit down next to the redhead; she watched as the tattoo artist worked._

_“I’m becoming who I’ve always wanted to be. I’ve been spending my entire life trying not to be seen, to just do what I’m told and be quiet. I’m done with that. It only causes you pain.” Nicole said, flexing her fingers to try to rid herself of the numbness. “When you’re too nice, too quiet, it’s easy for people to think it’s okay to use you, to walk over you. But not anymore. I’m going to be the person I’ve always wanted to be and no longer give a fuck about anyone else.”_

_“Hey, do you what you gotta, I’m just along for the ride.” Wynonna said._

_Nicole watched as the tattoo artist continued on with the outline of her sleeve and with every pinch and sting, she felt more of the pain in her chest fade away. It had been nearly three weeks since that night in the hotel room and she refused to let herself get that low ever again. Waverly didn’t want her, didn’t need her and it was about time Nicole accepted that and truly tried to move on. This wasn’t supposed to be a trip of self loathing, this was supposed to be a trip of letting go._

_///_

_Nicole slipped into the hotel room, trying her hardest to close the door as quietly as she could; it was almost four in the morning and she was sure Wynonna would be asleep. She kicked off her shoes and went to pull off her jacket when a light flipped on. “Fuck.”_

_Wynonna was sitting up in bed, a smirk playing at her lips, “Walk of shame?”_

_“Shut up.” Nicole said, tossing her jacket onto the small desk. “I don’t spend the time.”_

_“That was the third girl this weekend.” Wynonna said. “Glad to see you getting some, Nicky.”_

_Nicole flipped her off, “Screw off.”_

_“Oh, I already did. You just missed him.” Wynonna said. “Who knew so many beautiful straight men went to Pride. I’m in love.”_

_Nicole shook her head with a laugh, “Go away.”_

_“I can’t do that, I don’t know how to get home.” Wynonna said. “You’re my GPS.”_

_Nicole kicked off her jeans and adjusted her boxers before falling into her own bed. “I feel… lighter than I have in a while. It feels good.”_

_“How was she?” Wynonna asked, waggling her eyebrows. “Best you’ve ever had? Do you even remember her name?”_

_“Kate? Emily maybe.” Nicole paused. “No, that was the night before last.”_

_“You whore!” Wynonna laughed. “What happened to you being a gentlewoman. You gave Jamie Belton the coat off your back when it was below freezing in second grade because you saw her shiver.”_

_Nicole shrugged, “I’m not tied down to anyone, I can do whatever I want.”_

_Wynonna wiped at her eyes dramatically, “I have never been so proud to call you my best friend.”_

_“Because I’m having meaningless sex?”_

_Wynonna nodded, “You’re letting loose and I’m living for it.”_

_“Are you ready to leave for Florida tomorrow?” Nicole asked, pulling the covers over her body._

_“That’s gonna be a long ass ride.” Wynonna groaned, “It sounds like we’re going there to retire. News flash, we aren’t in our sixties and ready to die yet.”_

_“My nana is there and I want to see her.” Nicole said. “Besides, she makes those cookies you love.”_

_Wynonna looked at her, eyes wide. “So you’re telling me I have to suffer being around old people for an entire week if I want the greatest cookies ever known to man?”_

_“We all have to make sacrifices.” Nicole laughed. “She might even give us some for the road.”_

_“Fine, fine.” Wynonna said. “But if some creepy old dude tries to get frisky with me, I’ll fight him.”_

_///_

_“Your mother and father are worried about you.” Nana Haught said, handing a mug of hot cocoa to Nicole as she sat at her kitchen table. “You haven’t called them.”_

_Nicole thanked her and took a sip of her drink, humming as the warm liquid coated her throat. She and Wynonna had been there for several days and actually planned on staying a little bit longer. They’d found a bar just outside of the retirement community to work at and Nicole missed her grandmother dearly; it was nice being around someone else that was familiar._

_“I needed to get away.” Nicole said. “Purgatory is suffocating.”_

_“Why not go to Tokyo with your parents?” Nana Haught asked. “That’s farther than Florida.”_

_“I wanted to travel, to see the world.” Nicole said. “Being in Tokyo with my parents, shadowing them with their work, it’s not something that interests me.”_

_“You still haven’t told them you want to be a police officer, I assume?”_

_Nicole shook her head, “The way they reacted when they found out Alex wasn’t going into the family business; I’m just not ready yet.”_

_“They won’t be angry with you, you know.” Nana Haught said. “And besides, it can’t be that much of a shock; you dressed up as a cop for eight Halloween’s straight.”_

_“I know.” Nicole said. “Honestly, I don’t even know if I want to do that anymore.”_

_“What’s going on with you?” Nana Haught asked. “Not that I’m thankful to see you, you don’t visit enough. But you’re different, something’s off about you.”_

_“I had a rough school year.” Nicole said, somewhat truthfully. “I wanted to travel and see the world before I’m full force thrown into adulthood next summer.”_

_“You can lie to everyone and tell them that you’re just taking a vacation but you’re going to cut the shit with me, Nicole.” Nana said. “What happened to you and who do I have to shoot?”_

_“It’s Waverly.” Nicole said, tensing just a bit at the name; she hadn’t said it out loud in a while. “She… I got my heart broken, Nana and I didn’t know how to handle it. I ran.”_

_“That sweet little girl you were dating?” Nana frowned. “What happened?”_

_“We weren’t together.” Nicole said as she ran her hands through her hair._

_Nana Haught stared at her a moment before nodding in understanding, “She treated you like an experiment. Oh honey…”_

_“Don’t. Please, just don’t.” Nicole said. “I finally feel like I can breathe again. It still hurts… to talk about, but I’m getting there. I really thought she was the one. I’m an idiot.”_

_“No, you aren’t.” Nana said. “She is, for not seeing how wonderful you two were together.”_

_“I can’t make someone love me.” Nicole said. “I can’t be upset with her for not feeling the same way.”_

_Nana Haught reached over and squeezed her hand, “A broken heart can make you do some dumb shit but it can also help you find yourself. Are you comfortable in your own skin, with who you are?”_

_“I used to think that I was.” Nicole said, “I liked being in the background, where no one would bother me. I’m one of the only gay kids in Purgatory and it was nice, some of the boys can be real mean. But then Waverly broke my heart and I snapped; I lost sight of who I was. Well, of who I thought I was.”_

_“And now?”_

_“I feel more like myself than I ever have.” Nicole told her. “My hair, my tattoos, they might be minor things to everyone else, but they mean so much to me. I needed to let go of the last year and this was the best way I knew how. Changing myself; no longer pushing down who I’m meant to be, has helped me so much.”_

_“Has traveling really helped you? Or has it been just a distraction?”_

_“I think it’s been a little bit of both.” Nicole admitted. “I don’t think about how we have to go home in a little less than a month, or that I’m going to have to start seeing her again. I try to focus on the here and now because I know as soon as I’m home, all the progress I’ve made will probably fly out the window.”_

_“I don’t think that’s true.” Nana Haught said. “I think you’ll realize you’ve learned more than you meant to and go back home with a new insight on things. So what if that girl is there, don’t let her have the power over you that she once had. Think back to how you’ve felt these past few months, how she made you feel in your darkest times and hold on to that.”_

_“I don’t know if I can do that.” Nicole said. “It’s Waverly.”_

_“You’re stronger than you’re giving yourself credit for.” Nana said. “You’re also young and stupid. You two may work things out and live happily ever after, you might not. Just don’t EVER forget this summer and all you went through to get better.”_

_Nicole nodded and pulled her nana into a hug, “I really wish you wouldn’t have moved so far away.”_

_Nana Haught hugged her tightly and leaned back to look at the younger redhead, “If you could see some of the men down here, you’d understand why I left that god awful town.”_

_Nicole made a face, “That’s disgusting.”_

_Nana laughed loudly and got up to start on dinner, pressing a kiss to Nicole’s cheek as she went. “If you ever feel like you ever have to get away again, just know that you’ve got a place here.” She turned on the stove. “Is that Earp girl comin’ to dinner tonight or is she too busy losing all of her money to Charlie and Mickey again?”_

_“She’ll probably be here at some point.” Nicole said, standing up and making her way over to the kitchen to clean out their mugs. “She can only lose so many times before she gets up and quits.”_

_Wynonna had quickly come to befriend several of the men on Nana’s street in the several days they had been there; spending most of her days riding on golf carts with them and playing poker in the evenings. It was quite fun for Nicole to see her best friend so bent out of shape when she lost to one of the older guys, having been so confident in the first place. Being in Florida, it made them both have a sense of normalcy and it was getting harder for them to accept the fact that they had to go home soon._

_///_

_Nicole and Wynonna had spent their last remaining weeks in New York City, working at different bars and meeting all sorts of people. There was a heavy feeling weighing down on both of them as the days passed by and the departure for home was inching closer; they’d met so many great people along the way and found themselves in ways they didn’t know they could. It was hard to think that a trip that started off full of anger and depression was ending on such a good note, with memories that would stash with them forever._

_It was their last night in the city before they had to start their long drive back home; they’d been bar hopping with some friends they’d met over the last few weeks. She and Wynonna slipped outside into the warm night air and into one of the alley’s out back and pulled out a cigarette as she leaned back onto the brick wall, “I don’t want to leave.”_

_“I know.” Wynonna said, grabbing a cigarette for herself. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?”_

_Nicole was quiet for a long moment before she nodded, “I think so, yeah.”_

_“Look, whatever happened back home, with you and my sister…” Wynonna paused. “I won’t get upset with you if you ever decide to tell me.”_

_“Maybe some day.” Nicole said. “Just… I’m doing better, I don’t want to reopen old wounds.”_

_“She’ll be around.” Wynonna said. “Are you prepared to handle it?”_

_“I don’t know.” Nicole said. “I really don’t know.”_

_Wynonna nudged her shoulder, “You know, I wouldn’t mind skipping town like this every summer, it’s been hella fun, dude. I’m gonna kinda miss it just being the two of us.”_

_“Gross, you have feelings.” Nicole laughed. “I’m gonna miss it too.”_

_“Do you think we can bring Jackson and Avery with us?” Wynonna asked. “They make some killer drinks and I think Purgatory could use a few more gays.”_

_“As much as I think Jeremy would enjoy that, I think they’d rather stay here then ever go to our small town.” Nicole said. “Maybe we can visit them over winter break, I think my parents are going to Michigan to visit my sister and god knows I don’t want to deal with her shit children for two weeks.”_

_“You love those little destructive shits.”_

_Nicole shrugged, “From a distance, yeah.”_

_Wynonna laughed, “I told you, you ever decide to just up and leave again, I’m down.”_

_Nicole went to speak but one of the guys from their new group of friends call out for them, telling them it was time to go to another bar. She took the last puff from her cigarette and tossed it onto the ground; she motioned to him that they’d be right there and turned to Wynonna, “I know you don’t do the mushy shit and you hate feelings with a passion, but thank you. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you had never gone with me. I’d probably be dead in a ditch somewhere.”_

_“I always got you, Tater Haught.” Wynonna said, motioning towards the bar. “Come on, lets spend the rest of our night fucked up. End this summer with a god damn bang!”_

_Nicole shook her head, a smile playing at her lips as she followed her best friend back into the bar and over to their small group of friends. They quickly paid for their tabs and made their way to another one of the bars down the street. There was a part of Nicole, in the back of her mind, that was worried about going home and returning to reality but in that moment, surrounded by genuinely good people, she couldn’t think to care._

_Leaving Purgatory, even for just a little bit, was exactly what Nicole needed and she would never apologize for that._


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the likes, kudos and comments, they truly mean a lot to me. Opinions are welcome, but don't be a dick. It's fanfiction for a reason and not everything has to be the way you want it to be. At the end of the day it's just a story. With that being said, I love all you fuckers (even the ones who get bent out of shape), ya'll bring me joy.

Waverly made her way up the familiar front porch steps, a container of freshly baked cookies tucked under her arm; she was nervous, and truth be told, she knew this wasn’t such a good idea. She debated for a moment on whether or not to knock on the door but before she could even get a chance to decide, the front door opened to reveal Albert Haught staring down at her.

 

 

“Uh, hi! Mr. Haught!” Waverly squeaked out. “It’s me, Waverly, but of course you know that. You know my sister, Wynonna although I don’t know if you remember me at all. I’m a friend of… I stopped by to check on Nicole.”

 

 

Albert looked at her for a long while, “Yes, I remember who you are.”

 

 

“Is Nicole home?” Waverly asked, bouncing on the balls of her heels; it was something she did when she felt uncomfortable or nervous. “I made her some homemade cookies.”

 

 

“Honey, who’s at the door at this-” Kathryn stopped midsentence as she saw Waverly on their front porch. “Oh, hello Miss Earp. What are you doing here at this hour?”

 

 

"She’s here to see Nic.” Albert answered for her.

 

 

“I see.” Kathryn said, looking Waverly up and down. “I’ll be right back. It’s been a rough couple of days and I’ll have to see if she’s up for visitors tonight. I mean, she only did just get back from the hospital; she had a pretty nasty concussion.”

 

 

“That’d, uh, be great.” Waverly stuttered out. “Thank you.”

 

 

Kathryn nodded and turned to head up the stairs; she came to a stop just outside Nicole’s bedroom door and knocked softly, “Nicky, baby, you’ve got someone here to see you.”

 

 

Nicole looked up from her homework, confused; Wynonna was pretty much the only person who visited her outside of school. She got up, tossing her textbook onto her bed and opened the door, “Who is it?”

 

“It’s… that Earp girl.” Kathryn said. “I can tell her you aren’t up to it.”

 

 

Nicole’s jaw clenched and she shook her head, “No, no, that’s okay. I’ll be right down.”

 

 

“Are you sure?” Kathryn asked, unsure. “She-”

 

 

“I’m good, swear.”

 

 

“Okay.” Kathryn said, giving her a small smile. “I’ll tell her to wait.”

 

 

Nicole nodded and walked over to her closet, pulling on a pair of joggers and a jacket. She checked over herself in the mirror (trying to stall, more than anything) and headed down the stairs and out the front door. She practically tumbled full force into Waverly as she stepped onto the porch.

 

 

“Nicole, hi!” Waverly said, straightening up with a nervous laugh.

 

 

“What are you doing here?” Nicole asked, cutting to the chase.

 

 

Waverly was taken aback by her tone; she was starting to think it was something she would never be able to get used to. Especially when she knew the soft side of the redhead, the side she knew was just for her. She pushed those thoughts back into the farthest parts of her mind and shoved the container of cookies into Nicole’s hands. “I baked you some cookies, you know, to help you get better.”

 

 

“Okay.” Nicole said, disinterested; she didn’t take the cookies. “Still don’t get why you’re here.”

 

 

“I wanted to check on you.” Waverly said. “Wynonna told me how badly you were hurt.”

 

 

“You were there.” Nicole snarled. “You saw how hurt I was.”

 

 

“I…”

 

 

“You chose to ignore me.” Nicole said; the anger and sadness she felt for the last few months pushing back through her chest and bursting without restraint. “The facts were literally right there in front of you and you chose to ignore me.”

 

 

“That’s not true.”  
  


 

“Has being with him really changed you that much?” Nicole asked. “You were never one to just jump to conclusions. But again, I’m starting to think I didn’t really know you at all.”

 

 

“Nicole…”

 

 

“Don’t! Don’t say my name like you know me.” Nicole spat. “You don’t, not anymore.”

 

 

Waverly felt the tears forming in her eyes, “I don’t know what you want from me.”

 

 

“I don’t want anything from you.” Nicole said, her voice cold and unforgiving. “Do you have any idea what you did to me, what you put me through?”

 

 

“I didn’t mean to.”

 

 

“Oh, cut the shit, Waverly.” Nicole said. “You knew exactly what you were doing when you came to me that day and told me you were attracted to me and asked if we could be friends with benefits. You knew I would do anything for you and took advantage of me.”

 

 

“I didn’t know you would fall in love with me!” Waverly said. “You could’ve said no!”

 

 

“Yeah, I could’ve, but you were one of my best friends. I never expected you to hurt me the way that you did.” Nicole said.

 

 

“I wasn’t ready for a serious commitment!” Waverly tried to defend. “You caught me off guard when you told me how you felt.”

 

 

“You got with Champ the very next day!” Nicole said, shaking her head. “You made me feel worthless. You made me feel like I was so replaceable and that hurt like hell. I can’t be angry with you for not havin’ feelings for me, that wouldn’t be right, but to run into someone else’s arms so quickly…”

 

 

“Champ was there and you weren’t.” Waverly said, “You hurt me too. You left.”

 

 

“I had to.” Nicole said. “I couldn’t stay here, not with you.”

 

 

Waverly felt a sharp pain in her chest, “I…”

 

 

“Were you with him? On the nights we weren’t together?” Nicole asked.

 

 

Waverly shook her head, “No, I wasn’t.”

 

 

“So, why Champ?” Nicole asked; it had been bugging her for days. “He’s… not really your type of guy, Waverly. You could do so much better.”

 

 

Even when Nicole was upset with her (and most likely hated her) she could still be sweet, “Out of everyone, you ran straight to him.”

 

 

“He came to me.” Waverly said. “I didn’t run away just to go find him; he saw how upset I was when I left that day and followed me home.”

 

 

“Stalker much?”

 

 

Waverly gave her a look, “You left and he was there. You took Wynonna with you and he was all that I had, okay? Besides, he’s not that bad of a guy.”

 

 

Nicole laughed bitterly, “Yeah, okay.”

 

 

“You don’t know him like I do.” Waverly said, “He’s sweet.”

 

 

“Said no one ever.” Nicole said, running a hand through her hair. “Look, you’re Wynonna’s little sister and that means we’re probably going to be around each other a lot-”

 

 

“We also have most of our classes together.” Nicole gave her a look for interrupting. “Sorry, continue.”

 

 

“That being said, one way or another, you’re going to be in my life.” Nicole said. “But this doesn’t make us friends, this doesn’t make us anything, okay? You hurt me worse than anyone else ever has and I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that.”

 

 

“I… I understand.” Waverly said sadly.

 

 

“Don’t ever think I’ve not forgiven you because you didn’t feel the same way.” Waverly went to say something again, but Nicole shook her head. “I don’t. I can’t hear what you’re wanting to say, okay? It wouldn’t change things.”

 

 

“I’m sorry.” Waverly said, “I really, truly am. I wish I could fix things.”

 

 

“To be honest, it’s nice to see you’ve got some of your humanity left.” Nicole said as she sat on the steps. “Maybe your dick of boyfriend hasn’t completely changed who you are yet.”

 

 

“I’ll always be me.”

 

 

“That’s the thing, Wave, you aren’t you.” Nicole said. “I’m your… I was your friend for years, for fucks sake and you broke me. You turned your back on me.”

 

 

“This is still scary for me.” Waverly said.

 

 

“That’s not an excuse.” Nicole said. “You could’ve just been upfront with me. You could’ve kicked me out as soon as we were done, not beg me to stay the night. You could’ve kept it as just sex but you didn’t want to do that. I would have rather you cut ties early on then ever let it go for as long as it did.”

 

 

“I…”

 

 

“You don’t have to give me your reasons, I’m just telling you how I feel.” Nicole said. “At the end of the day, you didn’t have to run from me.”

 

 

“I don’t do feelings very well.” Waverly said. “Have you met my family?”  
  


 

 

“Each and every one of them.” Nicole said, matter of fact; she looked up at Waverly. “I didn’t hit Champ because I was jealous of him, I want you to know that.”

 

 

“Why did you then?” Waverly asked tentatively.

 

 

Nicole shrugged and stood up, “He’s just got one of those faces, you know, the ones you really wanna punch.”

 

 

“Liar.”

 

 

“It doesn’t matter.” Nicole said. “What happened, happened.’

 

 

“Are you pressing charges?” Waverly asked.

 

 

“I am, yeah.” Nicole said.

 

 

“He probably won’t get into the academy now.”

 

 

“Seriously?”

 

 

Waverly shook her head, “No, I mean, good. He’d make a terrible police officer. Speaking of which, have you started applying to academies?”

 

 

Nicole shook her head, “I don’t wanna be a cop anymore.”

 

 

Waverly’s eyes widened. “What? You’ve wanted to be a police officer ever since I met you. What changed?”

 

 

“I’m not who I used to be.” Nicole said, glancing down at her watch. “It’s late, you should be getting home. Thanks for stopping by.”

 

 

“Yeah, of course.”

 

 

“Just don’t think this changes anything.” Nicole said, pushing open the front door to her house. “Like I said, your Wynonna’s little sister.”

 

 

“Yep, that’s who I am.”

 

 

“Goodnight Waverly, get home safe.” Nicole said as she made her way back into the house and closed the door. She leaned against the door and sighed, relieving the tension in her chest; fuck that was hard to do.

 

 

///

 

 

“Wy, can I talk to you?” Waverly asked, knocking softly on the older brunette’s door; it was late but she knew her sister was probably still up.

 

 

“Doors open, baby girl. Come on in.”

 

 

Waverly stepped inside and shut the door behind her; “Are you busy?”

 

 

Wynonna looked up from her phone, “Nope, bored as fuck. Why, what’s up?”  
  


 

“I just got back from Nicole’s.”

 

 

Wynonna shot up, eyes wide, “You what?”

 

 

Waverly sat on the edge of the bed, “Do you know why she hit Champ first?”

 

 

“Do you really wanna know? Is it gonna change anything?” Wynonna asked. “No offense, you kinda blindly follow him these days.”

 

 

“Tell me what happened, Wynonna.” Waverly said.

 

 

“Champ go a little mouthy and Nicole wasn’t okay with it.” Wynonna said. “He said some things about you, about the two of you; he crossed a line.”

 

 

“What did he say?” Waverly asked softly.

 

 

“I don’t really know.” Wynonna admitted. “Nicole only gave me bits and pieces. Just know, she’s still super protective of you. Pretty stupid for letting that one go.”

 

 

Waverly looked down, “I know.”

 

 

“I’ve put most of the pieces together, especially after spending a summer with Nicole but I don’t really understand it all.” Wynonna said. “You guys were friends with benefits, right?”

 

 

“Yeah, at first.” Waverly said. “I felt things changing between us, becoming more serious but I tried my best to ignore it. All of these feelings were still so new to me and it scared me more than I’d like to admit. This is a small town and people talk; and look how mama and daddy ended up. Nothing good ever lasts.”

 

 

“Why didn’t you end it sooner ? Why’d you drag it on if you weren’t ready for more?” Wynonna asked. “Wouldn’t it have been best to just end things sooner rather than later. You know, avoid the shit storm you caused.”

 

 

“Nicole always made me feel so safe” Waverly said, a small smile forming on her face at the memories. “She wasn’t the shy, awkward girl she let everyone think she was; she was protective and kind and soft. She was perfect to me, always put me first.”

 

 

Wynonna scoffed, “Gross.”

 

 

Waverly rolled her eyes, “She helped me realize who I was and never pressured me into anything, at all. She was someone I could have sex with and spend time with too, someone who genuinely enjoyed my company.”

 

 

“Kinda sounds like you were using her…”

 

 

“I wasn’t.” Waverly said. “God, I wasn’t, Wy. I just got scared and I screwed up so much. I was just coming to terms with how I felt about her and how I wanted to handle it when she told me how she felt and I freaked out.”

 

 

“You mean when you ran into some fuckboy’s arms?”

 

 

Waverly glared at her, “You’re not helpful.”

 

 

“Sorry, go on.”

 

 

“Champ was always there, asking me out and following me around like a puppy.” Waverly said. “He showed up that day, after I ran and he just let me talk, for hours. At the time, he seemed like he was actually concerned about me.”

 

 

“And you’re just now realizing that wasn’t the case?”

 

 

“No.” Waverly huffed. “I know Champ doesn’t care about me, he just wants sex.”

 

 

“And you give it up to him.” Wyonna said. “That’s your own fault.”

 

 

“I was so hurt and angry when you two left and he was there in his own way.” Waverly said. “He let me cry and complain and scream and I felt like I owed him something.”

 

 

“Yeah, because he manipulates you and acts like he cares so he can get something out of it.” Wynonna said. “I know his type.”

 

 

“I didn’t mean for things to get how they are now, but I feel so stuck.” Waverly said. “What was I supposed to do? The second I saw Nicole, break up with him and try to get her to work things out with me? That’s not the type of person I am.”  
  


 

“You do know you don’t actually owe him anything, right?”

 

 

“I know.”

 

 

“Why’d you take his side when he hurt Nicole? Baby girl, you aren’t stupid, you clearly knew what happened.” Wynonna said.

 

 

“A part of me, a sick part of me, wanted her to feel what I felt.” Waverly said. “She left me, ignored me and I wanted her to know how angry I was.”

 

 

“She might never forgive you.” Wynonna said. “Can you handle that?”

 

 

“I don’t have a choice.” Waverly said. “I’m the reason we are where we are right now. I’m literally the biggest asshole on the planet.”

 

 

“I can’t even act like you aren’t.” Wynonna said, pulling her into a hug. “You can try to fix it, that’s all you can do. But you also have to understand that things might not end up how you want them to.”

 

 

“I love Nicole.” Waverly said. “I know I haven’t acted like I do but…”

 

 

“Hey, I’m not going to say you don’t.” Wynonna said. “You’re my sister and you’ve got a good heart but I’m also not gonna sit here and say you did nothing wrong. You have a lot of things to fix, if you even can.”

 

 

“I just don’t want her hating me forever, I don’t think I can handle that.”

 

 

“Don’t pressure her.” Wynonna said. “Don’t force her or rush her. Let her come to terms in her own time. She might forgive you and you two still go your separate ways or she might forgive you and you have a couple little redhead spawns together. And, unfortunately, she may never forgive you at all.”

 

 

“Do you think I crossed a line tonight by going over there?”

 

 

Wynonna shook her head, “Nicole would’ve told you to leave. If anything, it was a step in the right direction.”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “Good.”

 

 

“You’re a 100% on your feelings this time though, right? Because Wave, so help me god, if you two work things out and she forgives you only for you to back out-”

 

 

“I’m sure.” Waverly said, matter of fact. “And I’m also prepared for the worst. I won’t force her to forgive me, or to let me back into her life unless she’s okay with it.”

 

 

“I like that idea.” Wynonna said as she stood up. “I’m hungry, wanna head into the big city and grab some shitty diner pancakes?”

 

 

“It’s almost four in the morning.”

 

 

“So? We have to be up soon anyways for school.”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “Yeah, okay, sure. Let me just go get my jacket.”

 

 

“I’ll meet you at the truck in two minutes, if you’re late I’m leavin’ your ass.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna go the whole, Nicole is pissed and gonna scream at Waverly route, you know, tell her to fuck off and completely leave her alone but that's not who she is. She might be hot headed and go from zero to sixty real quick but if you get her in the right mind set she'll be cool enough to have a conversation with.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Champ goes away. At least for the moment.  
> Nicole realizes she's okay.  
> Wynonna is... well Wynonna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The finale was... I'm still trying to find the right words. If anyone wants to talk to me about it (cause my friends suck and don't watch it), hit me up on my Tumblr. Burn-the-empire.tumblr.com. We can get angry or cry together.
> 
>  
> 
> As always, don't be a dick. It gets quite exhausting to hear you hate the fic when you continuously come back and read it. You already know you hate it, why waste your time? Any who, thanks for all the kudos, comments, likes. Ya'll the best mother fuckers.

“Hey baby, what’re you doin’ here?” Champ asked, jogging up the bleachers to get to his girlfriend. Waverly never stayed after school to watch him practice, hell, she rarely ever went to any of his games. “Everything okay?”

 

 

Waverly looked at him for a long while before she shook her head. “We need to talk Champ.” She patted the empty space next to her. “Come, sit.”

 

 

Champ wiped his face with his practice jersey and sat down, “What’s up?”

 

 

“I’m sorry.” Waverly said, meeting his eyes. “I’m sorry that I ever said yes to you, that I took advantage of you being nice to me and said yes. You were there for me when I felt so alone and I’ll forever be thankful for that, but I should’ve never agreed to be your girlfriend.”

 

 

“What?” Champ asked, taken aback. “What the hell are you talkin’ about, Wave?”

 

 

“Nicole and Wynonna left and you were there for me. You were sweet and said all the right things and I fell for all of it.” Waverly said. “I let you distract me from all the pain and the anger I felt and made you seem like the good guy.”

 

 

“Is this about Haught? Cause I told you, she hit me first.”

 

 

“No. No, this isn’t about Nicole.” Waverly said. “Well, not entirely. This is me doing the right thing for once. We don’t work, Champ. You don’t even really care about me.”

 

 

“That’s not true…”

 

 

“You can be honest with me, you won’t hurt my feelings.” Waverly said truthfully. “You used me for sex and that’s okay. I used you too. You were a distraction and someone I could spend time with when I was lonely.”

 

 

“I love you.” Champ said, reaching for her hands.

 

 

“No, you don’t.” Waverly said. “You like my body and you like how I make you feel but you don’t love me. I don’t love you either.”

 

 

“I can’t fucking believe this.” Champ jumped up, tossing his helmet in anger. “You knew I’ve wanted you for years and you finally say yes, only to tell me it was because you didn’t have anyone else?”

 

 

“Don’t make me seem like the bad guy.” Waverly said, eyes narrowed. “You aren’t perfect, Wynonna told me all that you said to Nicole.”

 

 

“And here we are, back to that disgusting dyke!” Champ spat. “You were fine with me until she came back to town. Now that she’s here you’re done with me? That’s bullshit, Waverly, and you know it.”

 

 

“Champ, you know this would never work.” Waverly said. “We’re two completely different people who want different things in life. This was bound to happen sooner or later; this was never supposed to be serious.”

 

 

“You could do so much better than her.” Champ said. “She can’t give you what I can and you know it. What about getting married, starting a family? Do you really think she’ll be able to give you that? God damn it, Waverly, she fuckin’ hates you.”

 

 

“That’s not true.” Waverly hissed. “You don’t know anything about Nicole and I.”

 

 

“I know enough.” Champ said. “I know that you used her, for months, for your own personal gain and when you were done with her you tossed her away. You aren’t as great as everyone thinks you are. You’re just a manipulative little bitch.”

 

 

“Champ, that’s enough!” Waverly said.

 

 

Champ laughed, taking a step closer to her. “She’ll never forgive you, and who could blame her. As much as I hate her, she could still do better than you. You act as though you’re a good person but you aren’t. You deserve to be alone. I mean, you’re an Earp after all.”

 

 

Waverly shoved him roughly, “I can’t stand you!”

 

 

“Do you really think that I care?” Champ asked, his eyes dark and full of anger. “You were just a quick fuck at best. Someone who I could use whenever I wanted because you were so desperate for attention. Yeah, we could’ve had a life together, but it’s your loss, not mine.”

 

 

“If all I was to you was a quick fuck, why did you spend years trying to get with me?” Waverly asked, her voice shaky with tears. She was angry with herself for ever letting things get this far.

 

 

Champ shrugged, “You were easy.”

 

 

Waverly’s fists were balled up at her sides, “Fuck you.”

 

 

“I already have.” Champ sneered. “It’s not that great.”

 

 

Waverly clenched her jaw, trying her hardest not to hit him; she couldn’t afford to get suspended. “Leave me alone.”

 

 

“Gladly.” Champ said, pushing past her; he grabbed his helmet and started back down the steps. “I would’ve killed her if I had the chance. She toyed with your mind and made you think you’re something you’re not. This is Purgatory, if you think you’ll ever be accepted here, you’re wrong. I hope you never get your happy ending.”

 

 

Waverly watched as Champ stormed away, shoving through a group of junior varsity cheerleaders who were just leaving the locker room. She wiped furiously at her eyes, angry with herself that she let Champ get under her skin so easily; she hated herself for ever thinking he was genuine about anything.

 

 

“You okay?”

 

 

Waverly looked down towards the bottom of the stands and saw Nicole, “What’re you doing here?” She asked.

 

 

“Detention.” Nicole shrugged. “Was almost to my car when Champ Hardy nearly knocked me over. He mentioned your name and I kinda put two and two together.”

 

 

“I broke up with him.” Waverly said. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

 

 

“Where’s Wynonna?” Nicole asked; she wasn’t quite ready to be there for Waverly like she used to be. The only reason she even came to check on the youngest Earp was to make sure Champ didn’t lose his cool on Waverly like he did on her.

 

 

“With Dolls.” Waverly said. “Did you see her truck in the lot?”

 

 

Nicole shook her head, “Nope, it’s gone.”

 

 

“Dang it.” Waverly said, “I asked her to wait for me.”

 

 

“Where’s your Jeep?”

 

 

“In the shop, needs a new transmission.” Waverly sighed. “Guess I’m walking home.”

 

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, “Don’t be ridiculous, it’s twenty miles from here.”

 

 

“Not like I can call an Uber to come get me.” Waverly said. “The App doesn’t even pick up out here. Says the town doesn’t exist.”

 

 

Nicole laughed, “God, we live in such a shit town.”

 

 

“Tell me about it.” Waverly grumbled.

 

 

Nicole nodded towards the parking lot before she took off in the direction herself, “Come on, Earp, I’ll give you a ride.”

 

 

“Nicole, you don’t have to. I can call Gus-“

 

 

“I have to get something from Wynonna anyways.” Nicole said, pulling her keys from her pocket. “I’m literally headed for the Homestead.”

 

 

“But-“

 

 

“Waverly Earp, I swear to God I will leave you here over the weekend if you don’t stop fussin’ and come on.” Nicole said, unlocking her car; it had been raining the past few days so she opted to take her car. “I’m not gonna take you into the woods and kill you for breaking my heart, okay?”

 

 

Waverly frowned at the comment, “That’s not funny.”

 

 

“I wasn’t trying to be.” Nicole said, sliding into the car. “Let’s go.”

 

 

Waverly sighed and got into the car; she hadn’t been in here for months and the last time she was… well. She quickly buckled her seatbelt to try and hide her blush. “Thanks.”

 

 

“No problem.” Nicole said, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Being in such a close space with Waverly, Nicole realized, was not the best idea at the moment. They hadn’t been this close in months, especially not on decent terms, and Nicole could swear she could cut the tension with a knife.

 

 

“What do you need to get from Wy?” Waverly asked, trying to make small talk; she never did well with awkward situations.

 

 

“Chem book.” Nicole said simply. “She borrowed it for notes and I’ve got a shit ton of homework to do since I missed most of last week.”

 

 

“How’s your face?” Waverly asked.

 

 

“I think I’ll be rockin’ this black eye for awhile but I think it adds to my aesthetic.” Nicole said, fingers tapping against the steering wheel as they drove towards the Earp Homestead.

 

 

“How is this a joke to you?” Waverly asked, “Champ really hurt you?”

 

 

“And you were okay with it.” Nicole pointed out.

 

 

“I apologized for that.” Waverly said.

 

 

“I’m not saying you didn’t.” Nicole said. “I was just stating facts, Waverly.”

 

 

“I hate when you call me by my name.” Waverly snapped. “It sounds so informal.”

 

 

“Well what the fuck else am I supposed to call you?” Nicole asked. “Wait, why the hell are you gettin’ upset right now.”

 

 

“Because everything that’s happened to you is all my fault!” Waverly said with a huff. “You keep getting hurt and you’re still being so nice to me! You should be screaming at me, telling me to leave you alone. You should’ve let me walk home!”

 

 

“I’m not going to be a dick to you just because you hurt me.” Nicole said. “You’re still my best friend’s little sister and I’m going to respect you. Just because I’m being nice to you doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. I’m just trying to be adult about it. You’re always going to be in my life as long as Wynonna is around and that’ll probably be until we recklessly kill ourselves on our bikes one day.”

 

 

Waverly turned and punched her in the arm. “Stop making jokes like that!”

 

 

“Will you calm the hell down?” Nicole asked, trying to remain calm. “I don’t get what you want from me. Do you want me to tell you that I hate you? That I blame you for all that’s happened to me? Because I won’t do that. I don’t hate you, and I don’t blame you. I made my own decisions. Yes, you were the catalyst that started it all but I handled my problems my own way.”

 

 

“How can you not blame me for what I did?” Waverly asked, tears falling freely down her face now. “I hurt you and you left because of me.”

 

 

“What kind of person would I be if I hated you for not feeling the same way?” Nicole asked, glancing at her momentarily. “I can’t be angry with you for not loving me back. That’s not far. The situation sucks, and it hurts to be around you but this is how it is and there’s not a damn thing either of us can do about it.”

 

 

“You tried to kill yourself.” Waverly said softly, voice barely above a whisper. “I made you feel so lowly about yourself, like you weren’t worth it and you wanted to kill yourself. I’d hate you if you made me feel that way.”

 

 

“Can we please not do this?” Nicole asked. “I’m not ready for this.”

 

 

Waverly nodded and turned to look out the window. “Sorry.”

 

 

Nicole was quiet for miles before she finally spoke again. “I wanted to hate you so badly, but I couldn’t. Because every time I would think about all the hurt and pain you caused me, all I could think about is the time we spent together. I didn’t try to kill myself because you didn’t feel the same way. I did it because the memories, of all the times we spent together, were just too much.”

 

 

“Nicole…”

 

 

Nicole shook her head, “Don’t ever blame yourself for how I handled my heartbreak. Everything that I did over the summer was on me, not you.”

 

 

“But…”

 

 

“Out of everything, the thing that hurts this most is knowing you turned to Champ Hardy to comfort you. You went to the one person who always bullied me and made me feel like I was worthless.” Nicole said. “If there is one thing I hate you for, it’s that. You could’ve went after anyone else and I don’t think it would’ve hurt as bad as when I saw him with his hands on you. You deserve more than that.”

 

 

“I’m sorry.” Waverly said softly.

 

 

Nicole pulled into her parking spot at the Homestead and turned the car off; she looked to Waverly. “I just need more time. I’m still so angry but I’m getting there.”

 

 

“With me?”

 

 

“With everything.” Nicole said. “But with that being said, I’m here, if you ever need me. If Champ tries anything with you, you can come to me. I’ll… do what I can.”

 

 

“He beat you senseless.” Waverly deadpanned.

 

 

“He got me on a shit day.” Nicole smiled softly but it fell just as quickly into something more serious. “You good?”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “I’m good. Thank you for the ride home.”

 

 

“Any time.” Nicole said, getting out of the car. “I’m just gonna go grab my book and then I’ll be gone.”

 

 

Waverly felt her heart drop at that and she scolded herself, of course Nicole wasn’t going to be staying around without Wynonna here. “Yeah, okay.”

 

 

///

 

 

“So.” Wynonna slipped into the empty booth across from Nicole later that night. They were in some diner just outside of Purgatory, a place they frequented often. “You gave Wave a ride home today. What was that about?”

 

 

“You left her, it was rainin’ and she needed a ride. Don’t make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be.” Nicole said. “She’s your little sister…”

 

 

“Yeah, my little sister that you’re in love with and used to get freaky with.” Wynonna said, stealing some of Nicole’s fries. “Are you ready to fall back into her? It’s only been a month since we got back.”

 

 

“I can’t ignore her forever and fighting won’t accomplish anything.” Nicole said. “I still don’t trust her and I’m not even close to being ready to be friends with her again but I’m not going to be an asshole to her.”

 

 

“If you wanted to be, I wouldn’t be upset with you.” Wynonna said. “If you being okay with her is because of me, and you not wanting to upset me, don’t do that.”

 

 

“It’s not like I forgave her, jumped right back into bed with her and asked for us to start over.” Nicole said. “Right now, she’s just your little sister to me.”

 

 

“I give it six months and then you’ll be whipped for her all over again.” Wynonna said. “And that’s me being generous.”

 

 

“Wynonna, I don’t want to get back with her. Hell, there’s nothing to get _back_ to. We were never even together.” Nicole said seriously. “I will always love her, but I think I’ll always have a part of that heartbreak with me and I can’t be with her. I couldn’t handle losing her like that again. Besides, I need to focus on me for a while.”

 

 

“Mhm.” Wynonna said, waving over their usual waiter to order something for herself. Once the waiter was gone, she looked back at her best friend. “It’s okay, you know, if you ever did want to fix things with her. No one will think you’re stupid for doing so. We’re young and dumb, right? Aren’t we supposed to suck at love?”

 

 

“I don’t know what will happen with Waverly and I but I’m not going to spend my time thinking about it.” Nicole said. “She just broke up with Champ and neither of us are in a place to even think about _that_ part of us.”

 

“I hope Champ Hardy gets trampled by bulls, chopped up into little pieces and fed to the pigs.” Wynonna growled. “Homophobic dickhead who thinks he’s hot shit when he’s barely even room temperature.”

 

 

“Tell me how you really feel.” Nicole snorted and slapped Wynonna’s hands away from her food. “Will you stop?”

 

 

Wynonna pouted, “You’re no fun.”

 

 

“Just… don’t worry about Waves and me, alright? We’ll be civil, I promise.” Nicole said. “I’d never make you choose between us. I’m getting a little bit better every day.”

 

 

“I just don’t get how you’re so calm.”

 

 

“I’m still angry and hurt, but it doesn’t help anything.” Nicole said. “It still gets to me sometimes, but I don’t let it control me. I refuse to sink as low as I did that night in the hotel room. I found ways to cope and if things get too hard again, being around her, I can handle it.”

 

 

“Only if you’re sure.” Wynonna said. “I want you okay, always. I don’t want to lose you because you’re trying so hard to make things work. You’re the only one who gets me, Haught.”

 

 

Nicole shuttered, “Feelings, gross.”

 

 

Wynonna flicked some water at her, “Shut up.”

 

 

Nicole flipped her off and wiped the water from her face, “I’ll always want to make sure she’s okay, you know. Waverly was my friend once too.”

 

 

“I know.” Wynonna said. “I just don’t want either of you getting hurt again. You two mean more to me than anyone else ever has. I can’t have you not being okay.”

 

 

“I’ll be fine.” Nicole said, realizing that she actually meant it for the first time in a long time. “Waverly will be too. We just… might not be alright together.”

 

 


	7. Chapter Seven

“Okay everyone, today we’re going to be splitting up into pairs.” Miss Lucado said, walking into the classroom. She turned to face her students. “The person you share a table with will do. They’ll be your lifeline for this project.”

 

 

Waverly tensed at the news and glanced at Nicole, who seemed to be in the same situation as she was. “Fudge nuggets.” She mumbled to herself.

 

 

“This project will be half of your final grade.” Miss Lucado continued on. “There are four sections, which have been cut into two parts each. You will have three papers, a movie or show review, a PowerPoint presentation, an opinion piece, and several things that will be of your choosing. You will be working on this for the next four months, up until winter break. You will be required to work outside of school with each other as well, so please get familiar with your partners.”

 

 

“Can we trade seats if we don’t like our partner?” One of the football players asked; he was sitting next to one of the unpopular girls.

 

 

“You may not.” Miss Lucado said. “Take today to discuss your project with your table mate. Pick a movie and or show, that has a book. Plan things out, make sure you both are on the same page. You may go to the gymnasium, library or cafeteria to work. You may also stay here. Now, get to work.”

 

 

Nicole took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart as she turned to look at Waverly, “So…”

 

 

“Uh, hi.” Waverly said, trying her best to swallow the nerves. “Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

 

 

“Do you have an idea what show or movie you want to work on?” Nicole asked, cutting straight to the point. This was for school and school only.

 

 

“I, um…”

 

 

“You want to use Outlander, don’t you?” Nicole asked knowingly; it was Waverly’s favorite book series. To be honest, she would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy it either; it was actually one of her favorites.

 

 

“Would you be okay with that? I know you’re probably sick of it after all the times we watched it together.” Waverly said, eyes widening. “I didn’t mean to bring that up, sorry.”

 

 

“It’s okay, Waverly.” Nicole said, as she pulled out her laptop. “We can use that if you want, I’m fine with it. It’s one of my favorites too.”

 

 

“Really? I thought you hated it.” Waverly said, surprised.

 

 

Nicole shook her head, “Jamie and Claire have a love that’s one of a kind. There were so many times they could’ve taken the easy way out and left each other but they didn’t. They always fought for their relationship and I admire the hell out of that. Too many people are quick to run when things get hard so it’s nice to have something to turn to when you want to give up on love.”

 

 

“That’s…” Waverly cleared her throat. “Out- Outlander it is then.”  
  


 

“I know you like PowerPoints and Reviews.” Nicole said, already typing up a plan for them to go by. “Do you want me to do the papers and we can do the rest together?”

 

 

“If you want to.” Waverly said. “The, uh, new season starts this weekend so if you wanted to, we could watch it and then pull everything together when it’s over? Do one big compare and contrast?”

 

 

“That works for me.” Nicole said; she was concentrating so much on getting a timeline set up for them and their project, she hadn’t really registered that she was about to be spending so much time with Waverly.

 

 

“Have you read all the book?” Waverly asked. “I know you were on _The Fiery Cross_ a few months ago…”

 

 

“I’m on book seven but I’m almost done with it.” Nicole said; she looked to Waverly. “You were right, my heart got ripped to shreds.”

 

 

“It’s so heartbreakingly beautiful.” Waverly said. “It breaks my heart every time I read it, even though I know it’s coming.”

 

 

“I’ll finish the book I’m on now this week and start on _Written In My Own Heart’s Blood_ so we’re on the same page.” Nicole said. “Now that I’ve read the books, I know more of what’s going on in the show. Could we maybe watch the first three seasons again, so I can get a better idea?”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “Yeah, okay, sure, if that’s what you want to do.”

 

 

The bell rang, dismissing them for their next class and Nicole started to pack her things up, “Okay, cool.” She said, zipping up her bag and standing up. “We can work on the rest of the stuff tomorrow.”

 

 

“Sounds good to me!” Waverly said, rocking on the balls of her feet. She didn’t know how to act around the redhead and it was driving her insane.

 

 

“I’ll see you after lunch.” Nicole said before she turned and made her way out of the classroom. It was only when she was out in the hallway, away from Waverly that she realized the predicament she was in. They were going to be working on a project together and studying a book series that’s entire premise was full of love, heartbreak and getting through the tough things together. “Oh, fuck me.”

 

 

///

 

 

“No, I don’t care what you say, Claire should’ve ended things with Frank.” Nicole said, matter of fact. “Her heart belonged to another and yet she chose to stay with him because she couldn’t handle being alone.”

 

 

“I disagree with you.” Waverly said, shaking her head. “Claire loves Frank in her own way. She couldn’t just leave him.”

 

 

“Frank would’ve gotten over it eventually.” Nicole said. “The entire time Claire was with him, back in Boston, she never stopped thinking about Jamie. She would’ve never gone back to her own time if Jamie hadn’t forced her to, if she and their child’s life hadn’t been in danger.”

 

 

“Yes, that’s true but-”

 

 

“I still disagree with you.” Nicole said, leaning back in her chair; the two of them had spent most of their English period discussing some of the biggest parts of the series. “Staying with someone because you feel like you have to isn’t a good enough reason. Whether Jamie was alive or not, she would never truly love Frank the way she once did, and she should’ve let him go.”

 

 

Waverly sighed, “I forgot how passionate you are about your books.”

 

 

“It’s a world you can get lost in, a place you can go to when your own world is falling apart.” Nicole said. “I like how a writer can pull me in and make me feel what the characters are feeling. It’s my favorite.”

 

 

Waverly smiled, “I think it’s cute.”

 

 

“Waverly.” Nicole scolded, looking at her over her laptop. “Don’t do that.”

 

 

“I’m sorry.” Waverly said, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. “It slipped out.”

 

 

“Champ hasn’t been here lately.”

 

 

“I don’t know where he is.” Waverly said. “I hope he never comes back.”

 

 

“Do you really mean that?” Nicole asked, curious.

 

 

Waverly nodded, “I do. I created all these little things in my head to make him seem like a great guy when I know that wasn’t true. He’s a homophobic asshole and I hope he gets his ass handed to him. He deserves it.”

 

 

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Nicole asked, a thought coming to her mind. “If not, I get it.”

 

 

“No, no!” Waverly said, albeit a little too loudly. “I mean, sure.”

 

 

“Did Champ. Uh. Did Champ ever touch you…” Nicole huffed, irritated with herself at how stupid she was being. “Did he ever hurt you at all?”

 

 

Waverly looked at her for a moment, taken aback by Nicole’s question. She shook her head, “He never did… anything that I didn’t want him to.”

 

 

“Oh.” Nicole nodded, turning her attention back to her screen. “Good to know.”

 

 

“Thank you.” Waverly said quietly, unable to handle the awkward tension between them. “For checking up on me.”

 

 

“Yeah, of course, you’re-”

 

 

“Wynonna’s little sister and you want to make sure I was okay.” Waverly said. “Yeah, yeah. I get it.”

 

 

///

 

 

“And now I’m stuck with her for the next four months and it’s just so hard because I have all these feelings! I want to fix things, but I know I can’t and it’s driving me crazy. Lucado hates me, she has to!” Waverly said, exasperated. She’d spent the last half hour venting to Wynonna about her dilemma and how she was going to be spending a lot of time with Nicole in the upcoming months.

 

 

“Maybe this will be your way back to each other.” Wynonna said through a mouth full of chips. “Could be some divine intervention or whatever.”

 

 

“Nicole doesn’t want me, Wynonna.” Waverly said as she slumped into the kitchen chair. “I’m sure being around me all the time isn’t easier on her either! What if spending time with me brings up all the bad memories! Oh God, what if being around me causes her to fall back into how she was when we first-”

 

 

“Breathe, baby girl, breathe.” Wynonna said. “Stop freakin’ the fuck out and calm the hell down. Nicole isn’t going to run again just because you two are partners on a project.”

 

 

“It’s not just a project, Wynonna! We have to spend time outside of school together, we have to watch the series and discuss the book too!” Waverly said. “This is about one of the greatest love stories in the history of mankind and we have to talk about it with each other!”

 

 

“I still don’t understand why you’re letting this get to you so much.” Wynonna said. “It’s a book of fiction, not your life story.”

 

 

“Nicole used to say they reminded her of us.” Waverly said. “She would read me some of her favorites parts at night before we fell asleep and I… I don’t know.”

 

 

“Choose a different series then.” Wynonna shrugged. “Simple as that. If these books hold a lot of memories for you two, just do something else.”

 

 

Waverly sighed, “I’m being overdramatic, aren’t I?”

 

 

“Eh, maybe a little bit.” Wynonna said. “But you wouldn’t be an Earp if you weren’t. Look, don’t put so much thought in to it. You both like the book series, you both know it fairly well, do your project and move on.”

 

 

“She asked about Champ today.” Waverly said, “She asked if he ever hurt me.”

 

 

Wynonna looked at her sister, “Did he?”

 

 

Waverly shook her head, “No, he didn’t. But… it was weird, the question came out of nowhere.”

 

 

“I’m sure after Champ beat the shit out of her and seeing how angry he was from the break up, she wanted to double check and make sure he’d never acted that way towards you.” Wynonna said. “She was just worried, it’s in her nature.”

 

 

“She’s so, I wouldn’t say nice to me, but…”

 

 

“You thought she was going to spend the rest of her life hating you and making sure you knew that.” Wynonna laughed. “Yeah, okay.”

 

 

“I deserve it.”

 

 

“Stop with the pity party. Stop with the questions and wondering why she’s treating you how she is. It’s Nicole, you’ll never figure her out that way.” Wynonna said. “She’s talking to you and she’s doing this her way. Let it happen and don’t stress over it.”

 

 

“But.”

 

 

“No buts.” Wynonna said. “She still loves you, anyone with eyes can see that, but she’s protecting her heart. Be lucky she’s even speaking to you because that doesn’t happen to everyone. She could’ve walked out of your life entirely and that would’ve been that. How she is now with you, it’s a start… of what? I’m not entirely sure.”

 

 

“I just don’t feel like I deserve it.” Waverly said. “I look at her and all I can think of is how badly I hurt her, and it kills me. I was terrible to her.”

 

 

“Well, yeah, you were.” Wynonna said. “But sitting here, thinking about the past isn’t going to change things. All you can do now is try to fix what you broke and hope for the best. This is just a project, nothing more.”

 

 

Waverly sighed, “I know, I know.”

 

 

“Leave it to you two to pick a book solely on love as your project though. Fucking classic. If that isn’t a recipe for disaster, I don’t want what does.”

 

 

///

 

 

Nicole made her way into the house and tossed her backpack onto the floor before she took off into the kitchen. She went to greet her mother but paused when she saw several unfamiliar faces sitting at their kitchen table. “Uh…”

 

 

“Nicole, sweetie, you’re home just in time!” Kathryn said, a smile on her face. She motioned to the three other people in the room. “These are our new neighbors, the Pressman’s, they just moved in next door.”

 

 

“I’m Marcus, and this is my wife Shelby.” Marcus Pressman said with a wave; he then motioned to the teenage girl across from them. “This is my daughter Shae, she’s going be starting Purgatory High on Monday.”

 

 

“It’s, uh, nice to meet you.” Nicole said, holding her hand out for Shae. “What grade are you in?”

 

 

“It’s my senior year.” Shae said, shaking Nicole’s hand with a small smile. “What about you?”

 

 

“Same here.” Nicole said, sitting down at the table next to her mother.

 

 

“Marcus is one of our new hires, someone who will man the home office when we’re away on business for long periods of time.” Kathryn said. “You’ll help Shae get to know her way around Purgatory, won’t you Nicky?”

 

 

Nicole groaned at the nickname but nodded; she saw the look in her mother’s eyes and she didn’t like it. The older woman was up to something, “Yeah, sure, of course.” She looked back at Shae. “I can show you around, if you want.”

 

 

Shae nodded her head, “I’d like that a lot actually.”

 

 

“Nicole knows all the great spots to hang out too.”

 

 

Nicole glared at her mother, “Mom.”

 

 

“What?” Kathryn rolled her eyes and looked back to Shae, “Ignore her, I think you two are going to be great friends.”

 

 

Shae looked at Nicole, a wide smile on her face and a glint in her eye, “Yeah, I think so too, Mrs. Haught.”


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter and then ended up writing several more so decided to drop this one super early. Hope you lovely's enjoy. Thanks for all the likes, kudos, comments. You guys make this so much fun!

 

 

“There isn’t much to do in this town, is there?” Shae asked as they walked through downtown Purgatory. She and Nicole had spent most of their Saturday morning exploring the town, what little of it there was.

 

 

“Nope, not really.” Nicole said with a shake of her head. “We have Shorty’s bar, which is okay, but he won’t serve to us, so it doesn’t matter. There’s a drive-in theater that plays movies from two years ago and a grocery store; that’s about all we have. I mean, there’s football games on Friday nights but they aren’t worth shit to watch, we always lose.”

 

 

“Well, you do have a Starbucks.” Shae said, motioning to said coffee shop that was just across the street. “Do you want to grab some coffee?”

 

 

“Sure.” Nicole said, slipping her hands into her pockets. “Lead the way.”

 

 

Shae smiled up at Nicole before she turned and made her way across the street and into the coffee shop; she held the door open for the redhead and followed her inside. “Get whatever you want, I’m paying.”

 

 

“You don’t have to do that.” Nicole said, glancing away from the menu to look at Shae. “I don’t want to put you out.”

 

 

“You spent your morning showing me around the town, it’s the least I could do.” Shae gave her order to the barista then looked to Nicole, “Well?”

 

 

“Tall coffee, black.” Nicole told the teenage boy behind the counter. “Thanks.”

 

 

“Oh, come on, you can’t possibly enjoy plain coffee.” Shae said, bumping Nicole’s hip. “Why don’t you live a little?”

 

 

“I’m okay, really.” Nicole said truthfully. “Wa… My, uh, friends judge me for it too, they can’t stand that I don’t get anything in it.”

 

 

“You look like a lesbian James Dean but it’s all an act; you’re clearly an old lady.” Shae said, handing Nicole her coffee. “You’ve got this mysterious, sexy, I don’t give a damn vibe, but I think you’re the farthest thing from it.”

 

 

Nicole blushed at Shae’s comment; she wasn’t used to people flirting with her. “I spent years hiding away in the shadows, unsure of who I really was. I mean, I knew I was gay but outside of that, I was lost. I got my heart broken, traveled the country with my best friend and found some of who I was.”

 

 

Shae sat down at one of the empty tables, “So, you’re stilling trying to figure out who you want to be?”

 

 

Nicole nodded and took a sip of her coffee, “I know it’s stupid but changing my clothes and my hair and getting my tattoos, they really helped me become more comfortable with myself. I don’t know, it’s stupid.”

 

 

Shae shook her head and placed a hand atop of Nicole’s, “That’s not stupid. Heartbreak is cruel and causes you to do things you would never normally do. But I think it can also help you be a better you.

 

 

“You’re an optimist, aren’t you?”

 

 

“Maybe just a little.” Shae laughed. “Things happen for a reason and there’s nothing we can do to change that. Life is what you make it.”

 

 

“Wynonna is gonna have a hell of a time with you.” Nicole said.

 

 

“She’s your best friend, right?”

 

 

“Since I was four years old.” Nicole said. “She spent the summer with me too. If it wasn’t for her, being there by my side, I don’t think I’d be here today.”

 

 

“Friends are a great thing to have.” Shae said. “I don’t really have that many though. I’ve spent the last seventeen years of my life moving all over the world because of my dad’s job so lasting friendships are hard to come by.”

 

 

“She’s all I’ve got.” Nicole said. “I trust her with my life.”

 

 

“Well if that’s the case, I can’t wait to meet her.” Shae said, squeezing Nicole’s hand gently before letting go. “I’d like to thank her for keeping such a pretty girl safe.”

 

 

///

 

 

“Dude, what the-” Jeremy glanced down at the arm that was keeping him from walking any further before looking over at his best friend. “Uh, what the hell are you doing?”

 

 

“Who is that?” Waverly asked, pointing across the street to the only Starbucks within fifty miles. “That girl, the one sitting with Nicole?”

 

 

Jeremy squinted to get a better look, “I… don’t actually know.”

 

 

“What do you mean you don’t know? You know everyone in this town!” Waverly huffed. “Why is she with Nicole? Nicole doesn’t have other friends.”

 

 

“She did spend the summer traveling with Wynonna, maybe that’s how they know each other.” Jeremy said, “Whoever she is, she’s cute.”

 

 

Waverly glared at Jeremy, “I hate you.”

 

 

“What did I do?” Jeremy paused. “Oh, _Oh._ Oh my God.”

 

 

“What?” Waverly asked, confused.

 

 

“Someone’s jealous.” Jeremy nudged Waverly.

 

 

“I am not!” Waverly hissed. “I don’t even know who that girl is! She could be Nicole’s cousin or… or I don’t know, someone!”

 

 

Jeremy laughed, “I like this side of you, it’s kinda cute.”

 

 

“I’ll tell Robin about Gandolf.” Waverly threatened.

 

 

Jeremy scoffed, “You wouldn’t dare.”

 

 

Waverly crossed her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed in a challenge. “Don’t you think he deserves to know who broke his limited-edition action figure? You know, the one that you two spent months tracking down together.”

 

 

“You know I don’t do well with Tequila Sunrise’s! They’re my weakness!”

 

 

“Will you please just go over there and find out who she is?” Waverly asked, jutting out her bottom lip. “For me?”  
  


 

“What am I supposed to do?” Jeremy asked. “Casually order a coffee and then introduce myself? I haven’t spoken to Nicole since before she skipped town!”

 

 

“You used to be great friends, what better way to rekindle your relationship than randomly bumping into her on a Saturday!” Waverly suggested.

 

 

“You could always come with me, you know.”

 

 

Waverly shook her head, “Nope, no, not today. I have… plans.”

 

 

“Doing what? We were literally just saying how bored we were and-”

 

 

“Oh look, we’re right near the grocery store. I promised Aunt Gus I’d pick up some apples for her while we were out.” Waverly said, starting to walk off. “I’ll meet you back here in say, twenty minutes?”

 

 

Jeremy sighed in defeat and nodded, “I’ll get you some tea, too!”

 

 

“This is why you’re the best!” Waverly said just as she disappeared into the grocery store a couple buildings down.

 

 

///

 

 

Jeremy made his way into the coffee shop and took a deep breath before plastering on a smile and heading over to where he saw Nicole, “Nicole! He- hey there, how’ve you been?”  
  


 

Nicole turned her attention away from Shae to look up at Jeremy; she smiled up at him. “Hey Jer.”

 

 

“How are things?” Jeremy asked as he glanced between the two women. “Haven’t really seen you around lately.”

 

 

“I’m good, thanks.” Nicole said. “What about you?”

 

 

“Good, great even!” Jeremy said. “Robin and I are great.”

 

 

“That’s good to hear.” Nicole said, genuinely happy for her friend. “I’m happy for you, dude, you deserve it.”

 

 

“Thanks.” Jeremy said, pulling up a chair; he looked at Shae. “I’m Jeremy, one of Nicole’s friends, and you are?”

 

 

“Shae Pressman.” Shae said. “Nice to meet you.”

 

 

“So, how do you two know each other?” Jeremy asked. “No offense but I know everyone in this town and you are not someone I know.”

 

 

“She moved here yesterday.” Nicole said, “Her dad is gonna be working for my parents.”

 

 

“Oh, cool.” Jeremy said, “So, you two only met just yesterday?”

 

 

Nicole look at him, a skeptical look on her face. “Uh, yeah…”

 

 

“Cool, cool, cool.” Jeremy said, “So, do you have a boyfriend?”

 

 

“I do not, no.” Shae laughed. “Men are not my type; I’m an out and proud lesbian.”

 

 

Nicole looked at Shae, eyes wide. “You are?”

 

 

“You didn’t know?” Shae asked. “I don’t try to hide it.”

 

 

“No, I didn’t.” Nicole laughed. “I thought you were straight.”

 

 

Shae smiled softly at Nicole, “That’s adorable.”

 

 

“Well, I gotta go.” Jeremy said, his chair scrapping loudly on the linoleum as he stood back up. “Places to be, people to see.”

 

 

“You sure everything’s alright?” Nicole asked. “You’re… being weirder than usual.”

 

 

“I’m fine, yeah, I’m all good.” Jeremy said, heading for the exit. “We should get together and hang out sometime.”

 

 

“I’m pretty free, just text me whenever.”

 

 

“Will do!” Jeremy said, nearly tripping over his feet as he stumbled out of the Starbucks, in a hurry.

 

 

“He’s-”

 

 

“A god damn mess.” Nicole laughed. “He’s such a nervous little fuck sometimes, it’s kind of adorable.”

 

 

“When he asked if I had a boyfriend, he wasn’t trying to see if I was single, right?” Shae asked.

 

 

“No, not at all.” Nicole said. “He’s gay; he’s actually been with his boyfriend since we were in eighth grade.”

 

 

“That’s really sweet.” Shae said, “I wish I could find a love like that.”

 

 

“I thought I had that.” Nicole said, taking the last sip of her coffee. “Turns out, that wasn’t the case at all. I’m starting to think Robin and Jeremy are the lucky ones, maybe I’m destined to be alone.”

 

 

“Or maybe.” Shae said with a slight shrug, “The right person hasn’t come along for you yet.”

 

 

///

 

 

“So, who is she?” Waverly asked, as soon as Jeremy was back across the street and out of view from the coffee shop.

 

 

“New to town.” Jeremy said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. “God, why am I so nervous? Oh, that’s right, cause you made me spy on your ex!”

 

 

“First off, it wasn’t spying, and second off, we were never together.” Waverly said. “Tell me, what’s her name? Why is she here?”

 

 

“Her father is going to start working for Nicole’s parents.” Jeremy said. “Her name is Shae Pressman, she’s actually really pretty and totally Nicole’s type.”

 

 

Waverly glared at him, “And? What else did you find out?”

 

 

“She’s a lesbian and she’s hella interested in your redheaded biker chick.” Jeremy said. “I think they’d make a cute couple.”

 

 

“Jeremy, focus!” Waverly snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Is there anything else you know?”

 

 

Jeremy shook his head, “Nope, that’s all I found out.”  
  


 

Waverly glanced past Jeremy and her face fell when she saw Shae and Nicole leaving the coffee shop, laughing closely together. “I uh… thanks.”

 

 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure you won’t have to worry about Nicole falling for her or anything.” Jeremy said. “They’re probably just friends.”

 

 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re probably right.” Waverly said, shaking her head to rid herself of the thoughts in her mind. “Where, uh, do you wanna go next?”

 

 

///

 

 

Nicole walked into her English class the following Monday and sat down next to Waverly, a smile on her face, “What’s up, Earp?”

 

 

“Don’t call me that.” Waverly spat.

 

 

Nicole looked at her, confused. “Did I do something?”

 

 

“I’m not one of your bro’s.” Waverly said. “I don’t like when you call me by my last name, it’s… it’s as if I don’t mean anything to you.”

 

 

“I uh, alright then.” Nicole said, pulling out her laptop. “You never texted me back yesterday about watching the show together, so I recorded it. Do you wanna come over tonight and watch it?”

 

 

“I already watched it.” Waverly said, her attention solely on the book in front of her. “I figured you were busy anyways.”

 

 

“What makes you think that?” Nicole asked. “Waverly is everything okay?”

 

 

“What? Yeah, everything’s peachy.”

 

 

“And you say I’m a terrible liar.” Nicole said. “You gonna tell me what I did to piss you off or am I gonna have to guess?”

 

 

“I’d have to care about you to be upset with you.” Waverly paused, eyes wide. “I didn’t. I wasn’t. _Fudge nuggets,_ that’s not what I meant to say!”

 

 

Nicole clenched her jaw and turned to look at her laptop screen, “I’m sorry I asked.” She said, pulling up notes for their project. “I’ll leave you alone.”

 

 

Waverly frowned, “Nicole, I-”

 

 

“Class, we have a new face today.” Ms. Lucado said, interrupting their conversation, or what was left of it. “If you’ll please give a warm welcome to Shae Pressman. She’ll be joining us for the rest of the year.”

 

 

“Of course she will.” Waverly mumbled under her breath grumpily.

 

 

“There’s a seat right in front of Miss Haught.” Ms. Lucado said. “She’ll get you up to date on what we are doing for our project. I’ll speak with you after class about what you can do since you’re starting late.”

 

 

Shae thanked her and went to sit at the table in front of Nicole; she turned to face her. “Hey there stranger.”

 

 

Nicole smiled back at her in greeting, “Howdy.”

 

 

“We haven’t met, I’m Shae.” Shae said, holding her hand out for Waverly to shake.

 

 

Reluctantly, Waverly shook her hand and plastered a fake smile on her face, “I’m Waverly Earp; Nicole and I have known each other for _years_.”

 

 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Shae said, propping her elbows onto their table. “So, what kinda project are we working on?”

 

 

Nicole went to speak but Waverly beat her to it, “We’re in groups of _two._ You have to find a book with a tv series or movie and do a bunch of stuff for it.”

 

 

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Shae said, “I love doing things like that. What book series are you guys doing?”

 

 

“Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.” Waverly said. “It’s one of Nicole’s favorites.”

 

 

“I’ve never heard of it.” Shae admitted sheepishly. “Is it any good?”

 

 

“I love it.” Nicole said, eyes Waverly with unease; the brunette was acting strange and Nicole didn’t understand why. “There’s romance and history, two of my favorite things.”

 

 

“I take it you’re a romantic?”

 

 

Nicole shrugged, “Used to be.”

 

 

“Mhm.” Shae said, giving her a once over. “I think you still are.”

 

 

Waverly watched their interaction silently, her nails digging half-moons into her thighs. She hated how comfortable Nicole already seemed with this new girl, this girl who was so well put together and unapologetically open to new things; it pissed Waverly off. Nicole was supposed to be focused on her, and their project, not on the company of someone she barely knew.

 

 

“Waverly, she asked you a question.” Nicole said, nudging the younger girl gently. She stared at her, eyebrows knit closely together, “You good?”

 

 

Waverly blinked, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.” She said, gathering her things and tossing them in her bag. “I just don’t… I don’t feel well.”

 

 

“Do you need me to take you to the nurse?” Nicole asked, unintentionally falling into protective mode; it slipped through her subconscious so easily.

 

 

Waverly shook her head and stood up, slipping her bag onto her shoulder, “No, I’m fine. I’m just tired, I’ll be okay.”

 

 

“Are you sure?” Nicole asked, not believing her.

 

 

“I’m fine, Nicole!” Waverly huffed. “You two just sit here and talk about all the things you have in common! I’ll be perfectly fine!”

 

 

Nicole stared at Waverly, taken aback by her outburst. She went to speak but before she even had the chance to, Waverly turned on her heel and left. She looked at Shae, confused and concerned, “I uh…”

 

 

Shae straightened up and situated herself back in her seat, “I think I’m just gonna go ahead and get started on my project.”

 

 

“Yeah.” Nicole said, voice sounding far off and distant. “That’s a good idea.”

 

 

///

 

 

“Waverly was… weird dude.” Nicole said, blowing smoke out into the night air; they were in the barn at the Homestead, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. “She snapped at me as soon as I walked into class today and I don’t know, she just seemed off.”

 

 

Wynonna looked at Nicole and rolled her eyes, “You’re an idiot.”

 

 

Nicole glanced down at her from her spot on one of the hay bales, “How am I an idiot? What the hell did I do?”

 

 

“There’s a new girl, whose pretty and smart with an obvious crush on you.” Wynonna said. “Waves is jealous, Nicky.”

 

 

Nicole laughed in disbelief, “No, she isn’t. Waverly doesn’t care.”

 

 

“She got angry with you, acted hella weird around the new girl and then pulled the sick card.” Wynonna said. “She’s jealous and probably a little worried that she’s lost you for good.”

 

 

“I’m not trying to get with her.” Nicole said. “She knows that.”

 

 

“She can still hope.” Wynonna said. “I’m telling you, Haught-shot, baby girl is jealous as fuck and she’s going to take her anger out on you.”

 

 

“I haven’t done anything wrong!” Nicole said. “How is that fair?”

 

 

“Never said that it was.” Wynonna said. “But I’m calling it now. The more she sees you two hang out, the angrier she’s going to be and you’re going to be on the receiving end of it every time.”

 

 

“Maybe I should talk to her, I thought I was clear on not being ready just yet but I guess I was wrong.” Nicole said, jumping down onto the sawdust covered floor.

 

 

“No, no, no. Terrible idea.” Wynonna said, pushing against Nicole’s chest to keep her from leaving the barn and going to find Waverly. “She’s in denial right now and most likely doesn’t even realize she’s jealous so bringing that to light is only going to make that worse.”

 

 

“You don’t know that.” Nicole said.

 

 

“You know Wave, don’t you?”

 

 

Nicole paused; she nodded and sighed, “You’re right, it’ll only make it worse.”

 

 

“Exactly.” Wynonna said. “Just let it happen, she’ll get over it at some point.”

 

 

“I guess.”

 

 

Wynonna tossed her cigarette onto the barn floor and stomped on it; she looked up at Nicole with a knowing smile on her face, “You said yet.”

 

 

Nicole looked at her, head tilted in confusion, “What?”

 

 

“You said you weren’t ready yet.” Wynonna said. “When talking about trying to work things out with her and start over. That means you plan on fixing things at some point.”

 

 

“No, it doesn’t.” Nicole said, shaking her head. “That’s not what I meant.”  
  


 

“Yes, it is.” Wynonna said. “It might not be tomorrow, or even this year, but you’re thinking of getting back with her and fixing things.”

 

 

Nicole growled in annoyance, “I hate you so much sometimes.”

 

 

“I’m just callin’ it how I see it, Red.” 


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back for the third day in a row! The story is really starting to pick up and I've been writing nonstop lately! This is kind of a build up chapter, so I hope you enjoy!

“Come on, Haught, you can do better than this!” Shae said, pausing just a few feet ahead to wait on her current company. “You too, Earp, get your asses into gear. The waterfall isn’t very far from here!”

 

 

“God, I hate how perky she is.” Wynonna wheezed, hands on her knees.

 

 

Nicole laughed and patted Wynonna on the back, “Come on, it’s not that bad. We used to do these hikes all the time when we were younger.”

 

 

“Yeah, before the whiskey and the cigarettes.” Wynonna said, begrudgingly following after her best friend. “I don’t know why I agreed to do this with you.”

 

 

“Because Shae invited us both and we need more friends.” Nicole said, making her way up the narrow pathway.

 

 

“I was totally fine with just us!” Wynonna said, groaning when a tree limb swung back and hit her in the face. “I fuckin’ hate nature.”

 

 

“You live on a farm.” Nicole deadpanned.

 

  
“That’s no longer in service!” Wynonna argued. “How much farther?”

 

 

“It’s just a couple more miles.” Shae laughed. “You should hit your high soon and then the rest of this will be a piece of cake.”

 

 

“Says the girl whose extremely fit.” Wynonna grumbled as she stalked past the dark-haired girl. “This better be the prettiest god damn waterfall in the entire world, or so help me.”

 

 

Nicole shoved Wynonna, “Stop being a baby and come on.”

 

 

The three women continued on their hike for another hour, Wynonna occasionally complaining here and there but it was nice to experience something new inside Purgatory, a place not many people knew of. They’d only come across it by accident several days prior when they were drunk and wandering around the town in the middle of the night.

 

 

“Holy fuck.” Wynonna said, coming to a stop as soon as they reached their destination; she looked around the waterfall, her jaw hanging open. “Are you telling me this has been here this entire time and we had no idea?”

 

 

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Shae said, moving to sit down on a rock. She patted the empty space next. “Nic, come here, take a moment to relax.”

 

 

Nicole dropped down next to Shae; she looked at the area around them, “It’s so peaceful out here, so… ethereal.”

 

 

Shae stared at Nicole, the waterfall long forgotten, “Yeah, yeah it is.”

 

 

“Dudes look down at the bottom!” Wynonna said, squeezing her way in between the two of them. She pointed at the small watering hole at the end of the waterfall. “Is that a mother fucking swan? Since when does Purgatory have swans?”

 

 

Shae scooted over a bit, her smile faltering a little bit, but she shook it off, “You’ve never seen a swan in real life before?”

 

 

“We don’t have much wildlife here.” Nicole said. “Even they don’t want to live in Purgatory. They have better places to be.”

 

 

“I’m sure that isn’t true.” Shae said. “You have to have animals here.”

 

 

“We have like a coyote, and a few deer.” Wynonna said. “There was a family of bears one time, but Old Man Kesler shot them all in a drunken rage.”

 

 

Shae stared at her, horrified, “Oh my God.”

 

 

“She’s being over dramatic.” Nicole said, “We have more animals than that.”

 

 

“Well, not that many!” Wynonna said. “All I’m trying to say is that Purgatory isn’t really meant for anyone. No one wants to stay here.”

 

 

“I actually like it.” Shae said. “It’s quiet and the people are nice.”

 

 

“Until they aren’t.” Nicole said. “Most of them are homophobic and make you feel like you’ll amount to nothing.”

 

 

“Damn Nicky, tell us how you really feel.”

 

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, “I’ve never liked this town, ever, even before I came out. I always felt like I had to follow a certain set of none existent rules. I left Purgatory for the summer and found so many cities I fell in love with, places I felt like I truly belonged. I was free to be me.”

 

 

“I can understand that.” Shae said. “I’m sorry they made you feel like that.”

 

 

“It’s okay.” Nicole said. “It’s what comes with living in a small town; they’re mostly older people stuck in their ways and you’ll never change them.”

 

 

“That’s why we’re gonna move to Vegas one day.” Wynonna said, matter of fact.

 

 

Nicole looked at her, “When the hell did we decide that?”

 

 

“When we were super drunk and had two really hot strippers with us.” Wynonna said. “You can’t change your mind now, we signed a napkin!”

 

 

Nicole laughed as she stood up, dusting off her hands. “You’re so stupid.”

 

 

Wynonna got up with help from Nicole, “Yeah, but you love me.” She started back down trail. “Let’s go! Last one down has to buy the whiskey!”

 

 

///

 

 

“And just where the hell were you this morning?” Waverly asked as Wynonna stepped through the front door of the Homestead. “I go to wake you up for breakfast and you’re gone!”

 

 

“I went on a hike.” Wynonna said, wiping her face with her t-shirt.

 

 

“You, on a hike.” Waverly scoffed. “Yeah, right, like that would ever happen.”

 

 

“Well, believe it, baby girl.” Wynonna said, “Shae invited Nicole and I. Dude, you should’ve seen this waterfall, it’s hidden pretty well but it’s like the coolest thing I’ve ever fuckin’ seen.”

 

 

Waverly glared at her, “Oh, so you’re all buddy-buddy with Shae now too?”

 

 

“She’s cool, yeah.” Wynonna said, heading into her bedroom to grab clean clothes. “I think she’s great for our group.”

 

 

Waverly rolled her eyes, “You barely even know her, she’s only been here a few weeks.”

 

 

“So?” Wynonna shrugged. “Why does that matter?”

 

 

“Because!”

 

 

“Will you just admit that you’re jealous she’s friends with Nicole and we can move on?” Wynonna asked as she pulled on a clean shirt. “You’re only upset because Nicole is giving her attention and not you.”

 

 

“That isn’t true.” Waverly said, shaking her head. “I don’t care about that.”

 

 

“Yeah? Okay then, what’s your issue then?” Wynonna asked, raising an eyebrow in question. “Because everyone can tell you’ve got a problem with her.”

 

 

“Everywhere I look they’re together!” Waverly said, exasperated. “They talk in class and at lunch, and they go on coffee dates and… and I don’t know! I thought Nicole and I could fix things but now I’m not so sure.”

 

 

Wynonna sighed and sat down next to her sister on the bed. “Look Wave, shit happens and sometimes it’s out of our control. Shae might be good for her. Isn’t that all that matters? Nicole being happy?”

 

 

“Why can’t she be happy with me?” Waverly asked, tears filling her eyes. “I know I messed up and I know that I hurt her, but I’ve been trying so hard to fix things, Wy. I thought it was working.”

 

 

“Nicole hasn’t even really talked to me about her.” Wynonna said, pulling her into a hug. “I really do think that they’re just friends, baby girl.”

 

 

“You thought Nicole and I were just friends too.” Waverly wiped at her eyes. “I’m just being stupid. She deserves someone who knows what they want and won’t run when things get serious.”

 

 

“All I’m sayin’ is to not put so much thought into it.” Wynonna said, patting her thigh. “There’s no need in getting all upset if it turns out to be nothing.”

 

 

Waverly sniffled. “I can’t help it.”

 

 

“Look dude, if this is really bothering you so much, just talk to her.” Wynonna said. “She’s been upfront with you with everything else.”

 

 

“I don’t know.” Waverly sighed. “Maybe I should let it go.”

 

 

“Do what you want.” Wynonna said, standing up. “But right now, feed me. That hike completely kicked my ass and all I want is food and to not move for days.”

 

 

Waverly laughed as she got up, “I still can’t believe you willingly went on a hike, much less one that was early in the morning.”

 

 

“Apparently I promised Tater Haught that I’d go while I was very much intoxicated and when I went to say know she gave me that stupid look.”

 

 

“The one where she looks like a beat up puppy?”

 

 

Wynonna nodded, “Yep, that’s the one. Gets me every time.”

 

 

“She’s perfected it.” Waverly said, following her older sister into the kitchen. “She can get you to do pretty much anything with that look.”

 

 

“I’m not even gay for her and it works on me.” Wynonna shook her head, disgusted with herself. She fell into one of the empty kitchen chairs. “She’s just this tall, lanky, awkward little ginger that I love so much.”

 

 

“I’m glad she has you, Wy.” Waverly said as she started to make Wynonna a plate of leftovers.

 

 

Wynonna waved her off, “She kicked Jackson Mulligan in the dick when we were in preschool because he laughed at my worn down clothes. She’s always had my back, even when I was wrong, so I’ll always have hers.”

 

 

Waverly placed the breakfast on the table and kissed Wynonna’s cheek, “Thanks.”

 

 

“Anytime, Wave. Anytime.”

 

 

///

 

 

“Red, have a seat.” Wynonna said, patting the empty space next to her on the couch. She was waiting in Nicole’s living room for her to get home from hanging out with Shae.

 

 

“Do you go everywhere and make yourself at home?” Nicole asked, doing as she was told. “Or is it just at my house?”  
  


 

“It’s a part of my charm.” Wynonna said, turning to look at the redhead. “So, I think it’s time we have a talk.”

 

 

“Okay.” Nicole said slowly. “About what?”

 

 

“Shae.” Wynonna said. “So… how are things?”

 

 

Nicole stared at her, a skeptical look on her face, “Uh, they’re fine?”

 

 

“And with Shae?” Wynonna asked, waggling her eyebrows.

 

 

“Oh, for fucks sake!” Nicole said, throwing her arms up. “Shae and I are not together! We’re just friends.”

 

 

“Is that all you want to be?” Wynonna said. “Because it’s okay if you have feelings for her.”

 

 

“Yes, that’s all I want to be.” Nicole said truthfully. “She’s nice and we have a lot in common but I don’t see her like that.”

 

 

“Are you sure about that?” Wynonna asked. “You two have been spending an awful lot of time together lately.”

 

 

“Why does that matter?” Nicole asked. “She likes to go rock climbing and kayaking and doing a ton of other shit you hate doing.”

 

 

“I would do them if you ever asked me!”

 

 

Nicole looked at her, a knowing look on her face, “Would you really?”

 

 

“Not a god damn chance in hell, Tater Haught.” Wynonna said.

 

 

“Exactly.” Nicole said. “We’re just friends and that’s all we’ll ever be?”

 

 

“Are you sure about that because I swear to God she would’ve jumped you the other day at the waterfall if I wasn’t there.”

 

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, “You’re full of shit, she’s just being friendly.”

 

 

“I’m friendly with Dolls and I still fuck him occasionally.”

 

 

“Gross.” Nicole said, shoving Wynonna. “Get your head out of the gutter.”

 

 

“So, you really don’t like her like that?”

 

 

“No, I do not.”

 

 

“Is it because your still in love with my little sister?”

 

 

“Wynonna.”

 

 

“Got it. I’ll shut up now.”

 

 

“That’s all I ask.”  
  
  


 

///

 

 

When her parents out of town, Nicole has a small get together with her friends where they drink and watch the shittiest horror movies Netflix has to offer. They all pile up together in the living room and spend the entirety of the weekend playing stupid games and getting a little closer with one another. John Henry and Xavier usually bring the alcohol, while Jeremy brings the snacks. Wynonna and Waverly tend to show up early and most of the time, Mercedes Gardner is with them (how that happens, Nicole will never know but she likes the other redhead, so she’s cool with it). Except this time Shae is there and Waverly isn’t; Nicole didn’t even get a chance to ask her before she declined and walked away.

 

 

“I’m gonna go have a smoke.” Doc said, standing up as one of the teenagers in the movie got cut into pieces. “Anyone care to join?”

 

 

“I’ll join.” Dolls said, downing the rest of his beer before standing up.

 

 

“Me too!” Mercedes said, following the other two outside.

 

 

“I’m gonna get more snacks and a soda.” Jeremy said, grabbing the popcorn bowl and turnings to the other three occupants that were left. “Any of you ladies want something?”

 

 

“I’m good, Jer.” Nicole said. “Thanks though.”

 

 

“Get me a beer.” Wynonna said, dropping her legs off of Nicole’s lap and sitting up. “God, I gotta pee.”

 

 

“Shae, would you like anything?” Jeremy asked.

 

 

“No, thank you.” Shae said, smiling up at him.

 

 

“Alright, cool.” Jeremy said, “I’ll be back.”

 

 

Wynonna patted Nicole’s head and took off towards the bathroom, “Whatever you do, don’t let Dolls take my spot! If he tries, kick his ass!”

 

 

Nicole laughed as Wynonna stumbled into the door frame, “I think he might win, Earp!”

 

  
“You… are not wrong!” Wynonna said as she stepped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

 

 

“Your friends are… interesting.” Shae said, scooting a little closer to Nicole. “You’re all so different yet you fit so well.”

 

 

“We all grew up together.” Nicole shrugged. “We’re family.”

 

 

Shae nodded, dropping a hand on Nicole’s knee, “Yeah, I can see that.”  
  


 

Nicole tensed at the action and her eyes grew wide, “I uh-”

 

 

“I really, really like it here.” Shae said, her fingers dancing up Nicole’s thigh. “And I really, really like you.”

 

 

“Shae, I-”

 

 

Shae shook her head and cupped Nicole’s face gently, a soft smile on her face; “It’s okay, Nic.” She said before pressing her lips to Nicole’s.

 

 

Nicole sat frozen for a moment and once the shock wore off, she pulled away, “I… I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m not. Fuck, I’m not interested in you… in that way.” She winced at her word choices. “That came out shitty.”

 

 

Shae frowned sadly, “I kinda had a feeling but I wasn’t sure.”

 

 

“I didn’t mean to lead you own.” Nicole said. “I genuinely enjoy our friendship.”

 

 

“Hey, it was worth a shot.” Shae said, running a hand through her hair. “I would hate myself if I didn’t try.”

 

 

“I can’t… I have to go, okay?” Nicole said, shooting up from the couch.

 

 

“What? This is your house, I can leave…”

 

 

Nicole shook her head, “No, no. I’ll be back. There's some money in the kitchen for pizza and-”

 

 

“Nicole, are you sure you’re okay?”

 

 

“I’m fine.” Nicole said, pulling on her jacket and grabbing her keys from the bowl next to the door. “I swear.”

 

 

Wynonna came out of the bathroom, pausing when she saw her best friend halfway out the front door, “Where are you going?”

 

 

“I have to go.” Nicole said simply before making her way outside and to her bike. She waved absently to her friends on the porch before she backed out onto the main road and sped off. 

 

 

If there was any time to be reckless with her feelings, now was it.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wayhaught it coming, you guys! But there's going to be a long, rough, complicated road ahead of them. So sit tight and enjoy the ride. The story is kicking into gear!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get this party started, shall we? The angst isn't completely gone, our two idiots still have a long way to go and there will be ups and downs. Trust isn't something that happens overnight and insecurities are a bitch. We've got a while to go, so hold on tight.

Waverly was on the couch, reading a book and trying not to think about all of her friends who were most likely having a great time together as they got drunk and watched movies. A part of her was angry with herself for not going but the rest of her knew she wouldn’t be able to handle seeing Nicole and Shae around each other. It wasn’t fair that her own feelings were keeping her from spending time with the people she cared most for; stupid jealously ruining everything for her.

 

 

She was halfway through a chapter when she heard a knock on the door. Confused as to who it could be, she got up, grabbing the shotgun from just above the mantle and slowly made her way to the door. She swung the door open, the barrel of the gun pointed straight at, “Nicole, what are you-”

 

 

“Shut up.” Nicole growled, unphased at the loaded gun pointed at her; she pulled it from Waverly’s hands and dropped it to the floor. She kicked the door shut and turned to the brunette, eyes dark.

 

 

“I don’t. I uh. Wait, where’s Wynonna? What are you doing he-”

 

 

Nicole didn’t let Waverly finish her sentence, instead she pressed her lips to the younger girl’s and pushed her up against the wall, slipping her tongue inside her mouth as soon as she gasped. They fought for dominance for a moment before Waverly gave in and succumbed to Nicole, relaxing against her body.

 

 

Waverly pulled away a moment later, although it was the last thing she wanted to do. She held a hand against Nicole’s chest when the redhead tried to kiss her once more, “Nic, are you drunk?”

 

 

Nicole shook her head, her eyes meeting Waverly’s, “No, I’m not. I wouldn’t drive if I was. I just needed to see you.”

 

 

Waverly’s heart fluttered but she shook her head, trying to keep her mind clear, “This doesn’t make any sense.”

 

 

“Shae kissed me.” Nicole said, as if that answered every question in the world.

 

 

Waverly frowned, her heart plummeting into her stomach, “Oh.”

 

 

“And all I could fucking think about is how badly I wanted it to be you I was kissing.” Nicole said, slamming a fist into the wall behind Waverly before she started to pace. “I keep telling myself that I’ve moved on, that I’m so much better off without you but we all know that’s absolute horseshit.”

 

 

Waverly stared at her, taken aback, “I-”

 

 

“I mean, are we good for each other? Do we even work well together?” Nicole asked as she continued to walk back and forth. “God, Wave, all I can think about is you, all the god damn time. I still don’t trust you completely and I have my doubts, but I can’t keep acting like I don’t want to fix this.”

 

 

“What are you saying?” Waverly asked, stepping in front of Nicole to keep her from pacing any more. She cupped her cheeks, “Hey, look at me.”

 

 

Nicole looked at her, eyes wide and full of unshed tears, “It hurts to look at you, but it hurts even more to not be with you. I don’t. I need. Help me.”

 

 

Waverly felt her heart break at those words and tears fell down her face, “God, baby, I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I’m so sorry that I’ve put you through this.”

 

 

“I don’t care.” Nicole said. “Right now, I don’t care. She touched me, and I hated myself for it because my heart belongs to you. I just want five more minutes with you, even if it means you’ll hurt me again.”

 

 

“I won’t.” Waverly said.

 

 

Nicole dropped her hands to Waverly’s hips, nails digging into her skin, “I want you so much right now.”

 

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

 

“Wave, please.” Nicole pleaded. “I need to feel you.”

 

 

Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck and nodded softly, “Okay. Whatever you want, baby.”

 

 

Nicole scooped her up in her arms in one quick motion and took off up the stairs and towards Waverly’s bedroom. Every part of her brain was telling her to stop, to abort mission and run far, far away from anything to do with Waverly Earp. But her heart, her poor heart couldn’t stand the thought of being away from the brunette for another second longer; it could only ignore the feelings she felt for so long before it exploded.

 

 

“Nic, are you sure you want to do this.” Waverly asked, grasping at Nicole’s hands that were reaching for her shirt. She was splayed out on her bed with the redhead over top of her, eyes wild and unfocused.

 

 

“Do you not want to?” Nicole asked, getting up immediately. “Fuck, shit. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t stop to think-”

 

 

Waverly sat up and grabbed her hand, pulling her back down towards her, “I want this so much, I’m just making sure you’re really okay with it.”

 

 

“I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.” Nicole said. “But I can’t not have you in my life any longer. I’m sick of acting like I’ve been okay without you.”

 

 

“Yeah, well, you’ve done a pretty good job with acting like you’re just fine.”

 

 

Nicole snarled and tore Waverly’s shirt off her body, “If you ever really thought I stopped loving or caring about you, you’re an idiot. I might be angry with you and want to hate you for what you did to me, but that’s not who I am.”

 

 

Waverly felt the change in the room and she went to unbuckle Nicole’s belt, “What can I do to make it better, Nicky?”

 

 

Nicole growled at the name, her fingers wrapping around Waverly’s throat. All she could do in the moment was focus on the task at hand, “Right now, you can let me fuck you.”

 

 

///

 

 

Nicole awoke several hours later with Waverly wrapped up tightly in her arms. Slowly and as gently as she could, she slipped her arms from Waverly’s body and quietly got out of the bed. She grabbed for her clothes and pulled them on as quickly as she could, trying her best not to wake the sleeping brunette. The adrenaline had long worn off and all she could think about was leaving; the regret of her rash decision, weighing on her full force.

 

 

She was halfway out the door, when a sleepy voice stopped her in her tracks; she cursed under her breath and turned to look at Waverly, “I…”

 

 

“I should’ve known you wouldn’t stay.” Waverly said, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she sat up against her headboard.

 

 

“Waverly-”

 

 

Waverly shook her head, “No, it’s okay. I get it.”

 

 

 “I’m sorry.” Nicole said. “I thought I was ready.”

 

 

Waverly gave her a sad smile, “A girl kissed you and you freaked out; you ran to someone you were familiar with. I’m not mad at you, just a little sad.”

 

 

“I meant what I said.” Nicole said, making her way back over to the younger girl. She knelt down in front of her, cupping her face. “I know that I want to fix this. I know that I want you in my life. I just need a little more time, okay?”

 

 

“Okay.” Waverly nodded. “I understand.”

 

 

Nicole stood back up and pressed a lingering kiss to Waverly’s forehead; she had so many emotions going on in her heart at the moment and it was all so confusing for her. She wanted to scream and yell, to take all of her anger out on the girl sitting in front of her while at the same time all she wanted to do was hold her and tell her how much she loved and missed her.

 

 

“You should probably get back to everyone.” Waverly said, running her fingers through Nicole’s hair. She didn’t want to overstep but she couldn’t help it; she’d take whatever part of Nicole she could get.

 

 

“Do you want to come over?” Nicole asked. “It’s… it’s weird with you not there.”

 

 

“I think it’s best if I stay here.”

 

 

Nicole nodded once more, “Yeah, I think that you’re right.”

 

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Waverly asked.

 

 

“I’m getting there.” Nicole admitted. “It’s just taking a while.”

 

 

“Does this mean you don’t hate me anymore?”

 

 

“I never hated you, Wave.” Nicole said. “I don’t think I ever could.”

 

 

///

 

 

 

“Where the hell did you go?” Wynonna asked, greeting Nicole as soon as the redhead walked through her front door. “You’ve been gone for six hours! I thought you died or some shit!”

 

 

“I uh… had to take care of some things.” Nicole said, looking anywhere but Wynonna. “Is everyone still here?”

 

  
“Shae went home, she got really awkward and left.” Wynonna said. “The boys and Mercedes are currently playing a drunken game of strip poker.”

 

 

“And you’re not joining in?” Nicole asked as she tossed her helmet onto the floor by the door. “That’s a first.”

 

 

“So, what happened between you and Shae?” Wynonna asked as she sat on the bottom step; she patted the spot next to her. “Because you two were alone and the next thing I know you’re flying outta here like a bat out of hell.”

 

 

Nicole shrugged and fell into the empty spot next to Wynonna, “She kissed me.”

 

 

“Oh, Haught-Dog!” Wynonna said, punching her in the shoulder. “Finally!”

 

 

“I uh, I told her I didn’t like her like that.” Nicole said as she ran her fingers through her hair. “She kissed me and all I could do was run.”

 

 

“Where were you?” Wynonna asked.

 

 

“I-” Nicole sighed and turned to look at Wynonna. “I went to see Waverly.”

 

 

“How’d it go?” Wynonna asked, a little unsure. She knew they were trying to fix things but ever since Shae came into the picture, it seemed as if they had taken several steps back.

 

 

“I slept with her.” Nicole said. “And then I left.”

 

 

Wynonna narrowed her eyes, “Nicole…”

 

 

“We talked, a little.” Nicole told her. “I had a panic attack and all I wanted was her, I didn’t care about anything else. I told her how I felt, that I wasn’t sure I was ready to start where we left off and she was okay with it, at least, I think she was. She’s okay, Wy.”

 

 

“If you hurt her-” Wynonna warned. “Listen, I love you, but you two can’t keep hurting each other. You need to sit down and have a serious conversation. Get all of your feelings out and see if you really want to fix this and start over, whatever the hell it is you want to do.”

 

 

“I don’t know where to start.” Nicole admitted. “All I know is that I want her in my life, but I’m terrified she’s going to hurt me again.”

 

 

“Tell her that.” Wynonna said. “Just fucking talk to each other. It’s been six god damn months and all you two are doing is going back and forth. It’s time for some tough love, Nicky. I’m sick of you being miserable because you can’t get your heads out of your asses long enough to be adults and talk.”

 

 

“Jesus Earp.” Nicole shook her head, amused at her best friend. “Why don’t you tell me how you really feel.”

 

 

“I’m serious.” Wynonna said. “Just talk to each other… without sleeping together first. It only messes things up, remember?”

 

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Nicole said, pulling her in for a hug. “Thanks dude.”

 

 

Wynonna groaned and shoved her off, “Gross… and you’re welcome.”

 

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I invited her to come join us.”

 

 

“You invited her to come hang out around the girl that kissed you?” Wynonna laughed. “God, you really are a mess.”

 

 

“Fuck you.” Nicole said, rolling her eyes. “I’m trying here.”

 

 

“Well try harder.” Wynonna said. “Fix your shit.”

 

 

“Yes ma’am.” Nicole saluted sarcastically. “Anything for you.”

 

 

///

 

 

“Can we talk?” Nicole asked, falling into step next to Waverly as the brunette walked past her in the hallway the following Monday.

 

 

Waverly looked up at her, a hesitant look on her face; she still wasn’t completely sure how to handle their current situation. “Is everything okay?”

 

 

“Everything is fine.” Nicole said, pulling Waverly down an empty corridor and away from prying eyes.

 

 

“Okay, so…”

 

 

Nicole turned to face her, “I’m sorry.”

 

 

“For what?” Waverly asked, confused by Nicole’s behavior.

 

 

“For Saturday.” Nicole said. “For interrupting your day. For sleeping with you. For trying to sneak away after sleeping with you. I’m not… I have a lot of feelings that I don’t know how to handle.”

 

 

“Nicole, it’s okay.” Waverly said, “You were upset, I get it.”

 

 

“I just don’t want you to think I was using you.” Nicole paused, “I mean, I guess I kind of was, right? Maybe? Fuck, I don’t know. It’s just, you’re my comfort, you’ve always been my comfort and when someone else kissed me, I couldn’t stand it. All I wanted was you.”

 

 

Waverly smiled softly at the comment, “But you’re not sure you want to fix us…”

 

 

“I want to, but I don’t how.” Nicole said, taking a step closer to Waverly. “You not being in my life these last few months, it’s as if the light’s been sucked right out of me. You hurt me more than anyone else ever has and I spent so much time trying to convince myself that I’m better off without you but that’s the farthest thing from the truth. You make me better, you’ve always made me better, Wave.”

 

 

“What do you want from me?” Waverly asked, tears in her eyes; she hated how much pain she caused the redhead. “What can I do to fix this, to fix us?”

 

 

“All I want is to feel the way that I used to.” Nicole said. “I’ve never felt more alive than when I was with you. I want that again.”

 

 

“But you said you aren’t sure you can trust me.” Waverly said, gentle fingers reaching up to cup Nicole’s face. “I can do everything I possibly can to fix things between us, but it’ll never work if can’t trust me.”

 

 

“I think-” Nicole took a deep breath and looked down into Waverly’s brown eyes, “I think I want to start over, if you’ll have me. But first, I need you to know that I have my good days and my bad, that I’m still healing.”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “I want to be here for you, with whatever you need.”

 

 

Nicole dropped her forehead onto Waverly’s, “I’m sorry about Saturday.”

 

 

“Will you please stop apologizing?” Waverly asked. “I told you it was okay and that I understood it, I mean that.”

 

 

“I just feel bad.” Nicole said. “I don’t want you to think I’m going to just use you for sex when I’m angry or upset or lonely.”

 

 

“I don’t think that, Nic.” Waverly said. “You would never treat me the way that I treated you, even though I deserve it.”

 

 

Nicole looked down, ashamed, “I never want to hurt you, I’m sorry if I did.”

 

 

Waverly shrugged, “I deserved it.”

 

 

Nicole smiled at her, “The more time I spend with you, the more of _my_ Waverly I see. I’ve really fucking missed her.”

 

 

“I know.” Waverly said, “I’m sorry I disappeared for a while.”

 

 

“You’re not the one who skipped town for three months.”

 

 

“It was a figure of speech, Nic.”

 

 

Nicole laughed softly, “Yeah, I know.”

 

 

“I want to prove to you how sorry I am.” Waverly said. “I want to prove to you that I want this, that I want you. Even if it takes the rest of my life.”

 

 

“Can we get out of here?” Nicole asked suddenly, the bell for their first class having passed a while ago. “Start over tomorrow?”  
  


 

“Is that what you want?”

 

 

“Yeah, it is.” Nicole nodded. “Will you come with me?”

 

 

“I’ll go anywhere you want me to.” Waverly said, her heart skipping a beat when Nicole interlaced their fingers together, pulling them towards the exit.

 

 

She had no idea what tomorrow would bring them, or if they could even truly fix what was broken between them but she knew they would damn well try. Nicole meant too much to her and she was more than grateful that she was being given another chance, although she knew she didn’t deserve it. Hurting Nicole was the worst thing she’d ever done, and she would spend the rest of her life fixing those mistakes as long as the redhead allowed her to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waverly's flashback is up next, for those of you lovely people who have been wanting her point of view. And the ones who keep asking about Champ, his dumbass will be getting what he deserves in the next few chapters. Thanks again for all of the likes, kudos and comments, you make me love this so much more each and every day.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a playlist that I created for Just Out Of Reach. It's kind of an insight on how Nicole and Waverly feel throughout the series. You can kinda tell which song is for who and all that shit. Take a listen if you want so we can cry together over it. https://open.spotify.com/user/chasing_ghosts67/playlist/1Jku6OZ765C8sgftSTw2nz?si=HsAcbDp5QIG3p5EJFvx3ag&nd=1

_Waverly was walking through the crowded hallways of Purgatory High, on her way to her jeep when she spotted a familiar redhead. She’d spent most of the day trying to find Nicole and talk to her because something felt off between them, but it seemed like every time she got the chance Nicole would take off in the opposite direction. It pissed Waverly off, knowing that Nicole was avoiding her, and for what exactly?_

_“Nicole!” Waverly called out after her as she pushed past several rowdy football players to try and catch up with her but it seemed like the older girl was only moving further away. “Nicole Mackenzie Haught! You stop right there!”_

_Nicole immediately stopped at the use of her middle name and turned to look at Waverly, “Hey Waves.” She greeted, a smile on her face._

_“Don’t you ‘hey’ me, Nicole.” Waverly said, hands on her hips. “Why are you avoiding me?”_

_“I’m not.” Nicole said, and Waverly knew it was a lie. “I’ve been busy.”_

_“Bullshit. Wynonna’s been with Dolls and you have no other friends, no offense.” Waverly said. “So. What. Is. Up? I’ve called and texted and you don’t answer.”_

_“Uh, I’ve had to work?”_

_Waverly had to physically refrain herself from rolling her eyes, “If you’re gonna lie to me, come up with something better. Are you sick of our arrangement? Is that it?”_

_Nicole sighed, “Waverly.”_

_“That’s it, isn’t it?” Waverly said, her heart clenching at the thought of Nicole not wanting to do this anymore. She liked being around her; she always felt so safe with her._

_“I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore.” Nicole said, making her way outside and towards the student parking lot. “It’s getting too messy.”_

_Waverly frowned, eyebrows knit in confusion, “Messy? What’s that supposed to mean? We’re just having fun.”_

_“Maybe I don’t want to just have fun!” Nicole said, turning so fast she almost hit Waverly by accident with her backpack. “Maybe I don’t want just sex anymore.”_

_Waverly saw a few people turn to look at them and she pulled Nicole further away, out of earshot. “What do you mean? Is there someone else?” Waverly asked, afraid of the answer she would get._

_“God damn it, Waverly, you really don’t get it, do you?”_

_“Get what?” Waverly asked. “What is so wrong with what we’re doing? You’ve been fine with it all year, what’s so different about it now? You agreed to this.”_

_“I know I did but-”_

_“But what?” Waverly asked, cutting her off; she was getting irritated. “Will you just spit it out?”_

_“I have feelings for you!” Nicole said, eyes widening as the words spilled from her lips._

_Waverly took a step back as her blood ran cold, she wasn’t ready for this, “You what?”_

_“I… I’m in love with you.” Nicole mumbled, resigned. “That’s why I’ve been avoiding you.”_

_“I- I’m not.” Waverly paused, trying to figure out the right words to say. This wasn’t supposed to happen, this wasn’t supposed to be a conversation they were having. They were just friends who liked sleeping together, that was it. No strings attached, nothing serious about it. “I don’t. I’m not.”_

_Nicole looked down, ashamed at herself for being honest with her feelings, “Waverly…”_

_Waverly shook her head, taking several more steps back. “No, I can’t do this, it’s too much. It was supposed to be just sex, that’s all. There weren’t supposed to be feelings.”_

_“I didn’t mean for it to happen but I-”_

_Waverly held her hands up, distancing herself even more from the redhead. “I can’t do this. Not now. I- I need to leave. I need to go.” She said, stumbling over her own words as she turned and ran away, back towards the school._

_Nicole didn’t love her, she just loved the time they spent together, that was what Waverly kept trying to tell herself. They’d were each other’s comfort zones, but the feelings weren’t real. Nicole was leaving in the spring to move to a bigger city to become a police officer and she still had another year of school left. They wouldn’t work. Waverly knew the statistic, she knew that distance and work and school would get in the way, she knew they would only hurt each other in the end. It was best she ended things now, before things got even worse._

_She was so lost in her own thoughts, tears blurring her vision that she didn’t realize she was about to run into some until it was too late. She was halfway to the floor when arms wrapped around her waist and kept her from landing on her ass, “Whoa Waves, where’s the fire?”_

_Waverly wiped at her eyes and smiled softly up at Champ, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going. Did I hurt you?”_

_Champ laughed, “Waves, you’re like fifty pounds, course you didn’t hurt me.”_

_“Good, that’s good.” Waverly said, nodding her head._

_“Are you okay?” Champ asked, reaching up to tuck some loose her behind her ear. “I saw you with Haught, everything okay?”_

_Waverly went to speak but shook her head and tossed her arms around the rodeo cowboy’s waist, crying into his chest. She didn’t care who it was at this point, all she wanted was for someone to hold her and comfort her aching heart. “I- I don’t. I. She.”_

_Champ pulled her into his chest, running his fingers through her hair to try and comfort her. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”_

_Waverly cried for what seemed like hours and when she finally pulled away she gave him an apologetic look as she saw his tear-stained shirt, “I’m sorry about your shirt, Champ.”_

_“Nothing to worry about.” Champ said, waving her off. “Can I take you home?”_

_Waverly went to decline; all she wanted to do was go home and cry into her pillow, but she realized she rode with Wynonna that day and she was most likely stranded. Wynonna often left right after school and always left Waverly behind. Normally Waverly could get a ride home with Nicole but that was clearly out of the question now. “It’s all the way on the other side of town.”_

_Champ shrugged, giving her a dopey smile, “So? I don’t mind.”_

_“Okay.” Waverly sniffled. “Yeah, I need a ride.”_

_Champ pulled Waverly’s bag from her shoulder and tossed it over his own before nodding towards the parking lot, “Ready to go?”_

_“Yes please.” Waverly said, following after him towards his truck. “Thank you.”_

_“It ain’t a problem.” Champ said, opening the passenger side door for her; he had his boyish charm turned all the way up. He knew Waverly was vulnerable and that it would be his best chance to get close to her._

_They rode in silence for the majority of the ride, country music playing softly in the background as they drove out of town and towards the city limits. The Earp Homestead was pretty far out compared to everyone else in Purgatory and it took a while to get there._

_Twenty minutes later they pulled onto the Homestead and Champ parked his truck right next to Waverly’s bright red Jeep. “Want me to stay with you for a bit?” He asked, hopeful._

_“I don’t think I’ll be good company.” Waverly said sadly as she played with one of the holes in her jeans._

_“You can talk to me about Haught.” Champ said, knowing that would get him what he wanted; he could tell the youngest Earp was eager to talk to someone about the redhead. He might not be the smartest person, but he wasn’t oblivious, he saw how they were with each other when they thought no one else was looking._

_“Why would I want to talk about her?” Waverly asked, panicked._

_“I see the way she looks at you.” Champ said, doing his best not to snarl; he hated that Nicole was given attention and he wasn’t. “And… I see how you look at her.”_

_“We aren’t together!” Waverly said, tears filling her eyes once more. “Champ, you can’t. I don’t. I don’t want anyone to know yet. It’s a small town and… I’m not ready. I can’t. I don’t.”_

_“Does she want you to, uh, come out or whatever?” Champ asked, getting out of the car and going to help Waverly with her door. “I saw ya’ll fightin’ and-”_

_“Please, promise me you won’t tell anyone.” Waverly said, grabbing his letterman before he could head up onto the porch. “Promise me, Champ.”_

_“I promise.” Champ said, and he meant it; he wouldn’t ruin Waverly’s reputation because she was brainwashed into believing she was something she wasn’t. “Come on, sit down. I’ll ask your Aunt Gus if she’ll make us some of that cider you like.”_

_“She hasn’t made it since Uncle Curtis died.” Waverly said, sitting down on the porch swing. “It was his favorite.”_

_Champ laughed and sat down next to her, “He was a son of a bitch, I tell you. Still can’t believe he’s gone, he was like dad to me.”_

_Waverly smiled at the thought of her uncle, “Yeah, he was a great man.”_

_“So, Haught.” Champ said, bringing the focus back on their earlier conversation. “What happened between you guys?”_

_“She-” Waverly took a deep, shaky breath. “She told me she had feelings for me?”_

_“That a bad thing?” Champ asked._

_“We, uh.” Waverly felt a blush creeping up her neck. “We uh, were just fooling around. I don’t know, it was nice being with her.”_

_“And she wants more?”_

_Waverly nodded, “I’m not ready… for that. I mean, she’s going to join the academy next year! Long distance relationships never work, right?”_

_Champ scooted closer to her and dropped a hand onto her knee, “Yeah, that’s true. Happened with my sister, she and her boyfriend broke up a few weeks after they went to separate schools. He cheated, and they fought all the time; I couldn’t do long distance. You need someone who’s going to be by your side; you need a man who can give you all the things you deserve.”_

_Waverly looked at him, head tilted in confusion, “It’s not because Nicole is a girl…”_

_“Isn’t it though?” Champ said slowly. “Why else would you freak out?”_

_Waverly heard the sound of tires on gravel and when she turned her head, whoever had been in her driveway was already halfway down the road and she couldn’t make out who it was. She turned her attention back to Champ, “I don’t care that’s she’s a girl, Champ. I’m just… I’m not ready for everyone to know yet.”_

_“It sounds like you just aren’t that into her.” Champ said, holding his hands up in defense. “I don’t mean to sound like a dick, Wave, I’m an outsider in all this and callin’ it how I see it.”_

_“That’s not true!” Waverly said, exasperated._

_“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Champ said, a guilty look on his face, “I didn’t mean to assume, Wave.”_

_Waverly sighed and gave him a small smile, “I’m sorry too. You’re being so nice to me and listening to me vent about my problems and I’m getting upset with you.”_

_Champ laughed and pulled her into another hug, “Awe, it’s okay. I just like bein’ here for you.”_

_“Thank you.” Waverly said. “It’s actually really nice to have someone to talk to.”_

_///_

_I’m sorry, this person you are trying to contact has a phone that is no longer in service. If you think you are hearing this message out of error, please hang up and call your provider._

_Waverly cursed at the automated voice and slammed her phone down onto her bed; she’d tried Nicole several times and she kept getting the same god damn message every time she called. She even went by her house earlier that day but was told by a maid that the redhead was nowhere to be found and to check back later; it didn’t help that Wynonna was missing too._

_“Waverly, honey, you know how they are.” Gus said, leaning up against the doorway as she saw her niece getting angrier and angrier. “They do this crap all the time.”_

_“Something is different this time, Gus, I just know it.” Waverly said, wiping at her eyes. “Nonna never leaves for this long without telling me. What if something happened to them? You know how they can get when they’re on their bikes together.”_

_“Wynonna left a note, sweetie.” Gus said. “But she’s eightee and unfortunately there’s nothing I can do about that. I can’t tell her what to do.”_

_“You can tell Nedley to keep a lookout for them!”_

_“Nicole left a note for her parents too, just like Wynonna did.” Gus said, coming to sit down next to the brunette. “Waverly dear, did something happen?”_

_“No.” Waverly said, shaking her head. “Nothing happened. I guess… I guess they just decided to go on one of their stupid adventures and not tell anyone!”_

_“I’ve talked to Nicole’s parents, they’re worried about her.” Gus said. “Kathryn said she came home, locked herself in her room and when they woke up yesterday, she was gone. Do you have any idea why she would’ve left without telling anyone where she was going? I’ve known that girl since she was four years old, I know she wouldn’t just up and leave.”_

_“I don’t know, Gus.” Waverly said; she had an idea why Nicole left but she sure as shit wasn’t going to tell her aunt that. “I just… I’m gonna try calling Wynonna again.”_

_Gus sighed and patted Waverly’s knee as she got back up; she was worried about her niece, but she knew Wynonna was impulsive and always there for her best friend, no matter what. If Nicole really did just up and leave, for whatever reason, Wynonna wouldn’t have let her go alone. As much as Gus hated it, she knew there wasn’t much she could do and that they would eventually hear from the girls if they didn’t come back soon. “I’ll go make us some dinner.”_

_“I’m not hungry.” Waverly grumbled._

_“Well, I’ll save you a plate then.”_

_///_

_“Hey baby girl.”_

_“Where the heck are you?” Waverly asked, angry and relieved all at once as she heard her sister’s voice for the first time in almost two weeks, “I’ve been worried sick about you!”_

_“I know, I’m sorry.” Wynonna said, feeling guilty for leaving and not telling the younger brunette; she knew how worried she could get. Ever since their parents died and older sister ran off, Waverly had a huge fear of people leaving her, although it was understandable._

_“Are you. Are you with her?”_

_“Yeah, yeah I am.” Wynonna said. “We’re on our way to Vegas.”_

_“You skipped town to go to Vegas?” Waverly asked, “That’s what you’re doing? Wasting your money and being utterly stupid? How classy.”_

_“Wave-”_

_“No, you don’t get to give me your excuses!” Waverly said, tears filling her eyes. “You- you left! You guys left me here by myself and you didn’t even think twice to tell me!”_

_“It was kinda last minute-”_

_“This isn’t the seventeenth century! You both have phones, Wynonna!” Waverly said. “I’m so fucking angry with you right now! I hope you stay away.”_

_“You don’t mean that.” Wynonna said. “You’re just upset.”_

_“Damn right I am!” Waverly practically yelled._

_“I’m sorry.” Wynonna said. “You don’t understand…”_

_“I don’t have to understand anything!” Waverly said. “I’m going to bed.”_

_“Waverly come on.”_

_Waverly sniffled, “Drive safe, Nonna.”_

_“I’ll call you soon, okay? I’ll tell Nicole you asked about her.”_  
  


_“Yeah, or don’t.” Waverly said before hanging up the phone._

_///_

_Waverly was a little too in her feelings to do what she was about to do, but she was still upset after her conversation with Wynonna and if she was being honest, she just didn’t care. She was angry and hurt that her sister and the girl she… cared deeply for had abandoned her without so much of a goodbye. She felt more alone than she had ever felt before; it was like the entire world was collapsing in on her and she could barely breathe._

_Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited, rocking on the balls on her feet._

_“Wave, what are you doin’-”_

_Waverly didn’t give Champ Hardy a chance to speak, she rushed forward and kissed him hard, nearly tripping over the threshold. “Shut up.” She said, once she pulled away, breathless. “I didn’t come here to talk, okay?”_

_Champ stared at her for a moment and then shrugged, “I’m okay with that.”_

_“Good.” Waverly said, pushing him further into the house. “I want you to fuck me, and that’s all I want, okay? No questions.”_

_Champ looked at her with wide eyes. Waverly Earp was never one to really cuss unless something was very wrong, but he pushed it aside. He had wanted the brunette to himself for years and now that he was finally getting her, he would do whatever she wanted. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you want, baby.”_

_Waverly tried not to shiver at the pet name; it felt wrong coming from Champ’s lips, but she shoved the thoughts deep into the back of her mind and ran her fingers down his chest. He was too tall, too bulky, too big and she hated it, but she would do anything to feel anything other than the pain she was feeling at the moment. “Is anyone else here?”_

_Champ shook his head, dropping a hand onto her waist, “Nope, just us.”_

_“Good.” Waverly said, nodding her head as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “That’s good.”_

_///_

_“Where ya goin’, baby?” Champ asked, voice heavy with sleep as he reached out for Waverly. He grabbed for her waist and pulled her back down into the bed and into his arms. “It’s late, you shouldn’t drive home. You could get hurt.”_

_“I… Gus.” Waverly said weakly. “I… really need to get home.”_

_“After the fun we just had?” Champ pressed a sloppy kiss to her exposed neck. “You can’t rock my world like that and then leave me. I won’t allow it. I’ll miss you too much.”_

_Waverly turned to look at him, “You don’t really care about me, do you?”_

_“Course I do.” Champ lied easily; he saw how vulnerable the brunette was and would use it to his advantage. The amount of popularity he would gain with Waverly on his arm, he would kill for it. Knowing Nicole was out of the picture made his chances even better. “I’ve wanted you for years, Waves. Knowing you like me, even if it’s just a little bit, it makes me happy.”_

_“I never knew you to be a softy.” Waverly said._

_Champ shrugged, “I like you and I ain’t afraid to admit it.”_

_“That’s really sweet.” Waverly said, ignoring the part of her mind that told her this wasn’t a good idea, that she should put her clothes back on and run for it. Champ was a distraction for her, she shouldn’t drag him into her own personal hell just because he was willing to give her the attention she was missing from a certain redhead._

_“Would you… I don’t know… maybe wanna go out some time?”_

_Waverly looked at him for a long while, taking him in. Champ wasn’t unattractive by any means and he was sweet, definitely someone who could preoccupy her mind when her thoughts became too much. She knew she wasn’t in this for the right reasons, but she was sad and lonely and desperate to have someone to spend time with. “I. Yeah, I’d like that.”_

_///_

_Waverly frowned when she dialed the number her sister gave her, and a voice came through the line, saying the phone was no longer in service. She had tried several times throughout the day and kept getting the same result every single time; it had been days since she last heard from her sister and she was getting worried. She hated being left out and not having any idea where the two people she cared most for were at, or if they were even safe at all._

_“What’re you thinkin’ about, baby?” Champ asked, slipping his arms around her small frame as he came up behind her. They’d been together for about a month and Waverly was already sick and tired of his possessiveness, but she loved the attention he gave her, the way he distracted her on the nights that were too hard to handle. “Why don’t we go shut that brain off for a little bit?”_

_“I don’t-”Waverly shoved him off of her. “I don’t want to shut my brain off, Champ. I’m just very worried about Wynonna and Nicole. I haven’t heard from my sister in days.”_

_“They left you, Waverly.” Champ scoffed. “Why do you still care about them? About her?”_

_“I don’t!” Waverly hissed, turning to glare at him. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Champ.”_

_“I’ve seen the texts you’ve sent Wynonna, asking about Haught and if she’s doing okay. I’ve overhead you on the phone asking Wynonna about how she’s doing. You still fucking care and I just don’t god damn get it. She’s a disgusting human being who brainwashed you into thinking you were something you weren’t. She used you until she got what she wanted and then she abandoned you like everyone else.”_

_“You don’t know anything about Nicole!” Waverly spat. “Just shut up!”_

_Champ took a step towards her, eyes narrowed. “God, she really messed you up.”_

_“Champ.” Waverly warned._

_“You’re in denial and that’s fine.” Champ said, taking a step towards her. “But just remember who was there for you when no one else was. Who’s been there for you when the nights are hard or when you’re angry because they left you. I’ve been here this entire time, they haven’t. It’s about time you let them go and focus on the people who are still here.”_

_Waverly looked down, “I’m sorry.”_

_Champ pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. “I’m not the bad guy. She is. It’s time you accept that, okay? I’m only here because I love you.”_

_“I love you, too.” Waverly said, her words on autopilot._

_///_

_“So, how are you and Champ?” Chrissy asked as she looked up from her pancakes._

_Waverly shrugged as she played with the food on her plate; they only had a few weeks left until school and she was dreading it. She had spent a majority of the summer wrapped up in Champ, trying to forget the world around her. She thought she would get used to Nicole and Wynonna being gone but it was only getting harder and often times she was angry. “We’re fine.”_

_“I’m surprised you even agreed to meet me for breakfast.” Chrissy admitted. “You’ve kind of been M.I.A. all summer. I’ve missed you.”_

_“I’m sorry, just been busy.”_

_Chrissy knew it was a lie but she wouldn’t push it, “New love, I get it.”_

_Waverly wanted to roll her eyes but put a fake smile on instead; “Yeah, it’s great!”_

_“Wynonna and Nicole coming back soon?” Chrissy asked, oblivious that anything was wrong between the three women. Waverly had been pretty disconnected lately and she didn’t know how to really handle her._

_“Don’t know, don’t care.” Waverly said. “Wynonna sent me a text yesterday for the first time in a while and told me they were fine. She wouldn’t tell me anything else.”_

_“It’s still so weird that they up and left.” Chrissy said, shaking her head. “I know they can get pretty spontaneous but don’t you think leaving the way they did was a bit extreme?”_

_“They’re both adults, they can do whatever the hell they want to.” Waverly said, a bite in her tone. “Who cares who gets hurt, right?”_

_“Are you… okay?” Chrissy asked, a frown on her face._

_“I’m peachy.” Waverly said, stabbing her fork into her eggs. “Everything is perfect.”_

_Everything was a god damn lie but she sure as shit wouldn’t admit it._

_///_

_“Holy shit.”_

 

_“Is that Haught?”_

_“Talk about Daddy.”_

_Waverly heard the familiar last name and her heart skipped a beat; she turned her attention away from Chrissy Nedley and her jaw nearly dropped when she spotted the redhead across the hall, a completely different person from just a few months ago. Who once was uncomfortable with even being called on in class and not wanting attention now couldn’t seem to care at all about all the whispers and stares; Waverly couldn’t believe it._

_Wynonna had come home late the night before, and Waverly had a feeling she would be seeing the redhead at school but nothing could prepare her for seeing her in person after so many months. Once the shock wore off, all the feelings she had spent months trying to ignore and push deep down inside came bursting through her chest in a rage, nearly knocking her off her feet. She couldn’t believe it._

_“How dare she!” Waverly hissed, shoving her things into her best friend’s arms before making her way down the hallway, her jaw clenched. She pushed through several girls and came to a stop directly in front of Nicole, eyes narrowed in anger. “You!”_

_Nicole looked down at her, eyes widening a bit in surprise, “Wave-”_

_Slap._

_Waverly felt the burning in her fingers, but she didn’t care, she was so angry and upset and couldn’t believe how indifferent Nicole was. It pissed her off so much that she didn’t even care that she had hit the taller girl. “I hate you.” She said, blinking back tears. “How could you leave me? You said you wouldn’t and you did.”_

_“I needed to get out of town.” Nicole tried to defend herself as she straightened up._

_Waverly saw the look of hurt on Nicole’s face, but she ignored it, “No, you needed to get away from me.” She said, refusing to acknowledge how much more attractive Nicole was. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”_

_“I tried-”_

_“Don’t you lie to me Nicole Haught!” Waverly spit with a roll of her eyes. “You left because you’re too much of a coward. Did I mean so little to you that you couldn’t even tell me goodbye? You just disappeared!”_

_“Can we talk about this later?” Nicole asked, noticing the growing crowd; she didn’t want everyone knowing their business._

_Before Waverly could shut her down, strong arms possessively wrapped around her waist and she could swear she could hear a snarl come from Champ’s throat. She had to physically keep from pulling away from him; as their relationship had progressed she had grown to hate him. He was suffocating and controlling and rough. She hated being with him but for some god damn reason she wouldn’t break up with him._

_“Hey baby.” Champ greeted, his chin digging into her shoulder; he glared at Nicole. “What’re you doin’ here?”_

_Nicole stared at Waverly in disbelief, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”_

_Waverly watched at shock, then anger and finally hurt flashed across Nicole’s face and she wanted to reach out to her, to say fuck the last few months and start over. But she knew that was never going to happen. “Nicole…”_

_“Don’t.” Don’t you dare try to make me feel bad for what I did when you clearly didn’t care as much as you say you did.” Nicole said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she watched the wannabe roadeo cowboy manhandle the brunette. “You don’t’ care that I left, you care that you didn’t have someone to walk all over.”_

_“I think that’s enough.” Wynonna said, just as the warning bell for first period rang throughout the halls. She grabbed at Nicole’s jacket but the redhead shrugged her off, “Come on dude, we should get to class.”_

_Nicole stared at Waverly for a minute longer, a mix of emotions running through her mind before she turned on her heel and took off out the main entrance._

_Waverly watched her go and she felt her heart break into a million pieces._

_Oh God, what has she done?_


	12. Chapter Twelve

“Nicole, sweetheart, will you please come down here.” Kathryn said from the bottom of the stairs, “Your father and I would like to talk to you.”

 

 

“Yeah, I’ll be down in a sec.” Nicole said, pulling her headphones out of her ears and tossing them onto her desk. She saved the paper she was working on and made her way downstairs and into the kitchen where her parents were waiting for her. “What’s up?”

 

 

“Randy Nedley just called.” Albert said, motioning for Nicole to sit down. “Champ Hardy has been arrested for assault.”

 

 

“You mean, the assault that happened almost two months ago?” Nicole asked, sitting down. “Does it even matter at this point?”

 

 

“Apparently an anonymous source called the station over the weekend and told Deputy Lonnie about threats made towards you and how he’s been trying to harm you for a while now.” Kathryn said. “You hitting Champ first was just because you felt unsafe.”

 

 

“But… that’s not true.” Nicole said, confused. “He said shit I didn’t like, and I punched him in the face. He’s an asshole.”

 

 

“Language.” Albert scolded.

 

 

“Sorry.” Nicole mumbled.

 

 

“Look honey, don’t think so much of it.” Kathryn said. “Champ Hardy is a spoiled brat who took things too far and is finally getting what he deserves. That boy has always been a bully and I’m glad he’s paying for his actions.”

 

 

“Your principal called to let us know he’s been suspended until further notice.” Albert said. “I’m sure he won’t get jail time, considering this is Purgatory but this is a start. I know damn sure he won’t be getting into that god damn academy anymore. Serves him right.”

 

 

“Will I have to testify?” Nicole asked. “In court?”

 

 

Kathryn shook her head, “There’s video footage, pictures of your bruises from the hospital and give it time, I’m sure Champ will show himself and the truth will come out. If anything, Nedley might call you in to recall what happened but that should be it.

 

 

“So, that’s it?” Nicole said. “Nedley takes action due to an anonymous caller but when we go to him personally he just brushes it off?”

 

 

“He’s always been… an odd man.” Albert reached across and squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?”  
  


 

“What? Yeah, yeah of course I am.” Nicole said. “I’ve always hated Champ. It’s nice to know he’s most likely pissing himself right now.”

 

 

Kathryn smiled, “Just be thankful to whoever called and got the Sheriff to take your assault seriously. They must’ve known exactly what to say to get him to do what they wanted.”

 

 

Nicole was silent for a moment before she nodded, an idea of who might’ve persuaded the older officer into looking into her accusation again. “I’m going out for a bit, is that okay?”

 

 

“Since when do you ever ask us?” Albert waved her off. “Yeah, go ahead.”

 

 

“Just take your car, please? It’s supposed to snow tonight.” Kathryn said. “You know how bad the back roads can get.”

 

 

“Will do.” Nicole said, getting up. “I’ll text you if I’m coming home or not.”

 

 

“If the roads are bad, stay where you are!” Kathryn called after her daughter as she left the room to go and get ready to leave. “Rather you be safe than sorry!”

 

 

///

 

 

“Did you call Nedley and tell him about Champ?”

 

 

Waverly looked up from her Calculus homework when she heard the familiar voice, a small smile on her face, “Hello to you too.”

 

 

Nicole shut Waverly’s door and made her way over to the brunette, pressing a kiss to her cheek, “Hey Waves.” She straightened back up. “So, did you?”

 

 

“Did I what?” Waverly asked, closing her textbook; she knew she wouldn’t be working on it anymore that night.

 

 

“Did you call Nedley over the weekend and tell him about Champ?” Nicole asked. “My parents said someone called the station and-”

 

 

“Will you be upset if I did?” Waverly asked, skeptical.

 

 

“What? Hell no.” Nicole said. “Little bastard is finally getting’ what he deserves.”

 

 

“Then yes, it was me.” Waverly said, patting the empty space next to her. “Why?”

 

 

Nicole kicked her boots off and climbed into the bed, sitting up against the headboard. They’d been spending the last few days together, trying to relearn each other and fall back into place; it was taking some time, but they were getting there. “Champ got arrested today.”

 

 

“Really?” Waverly asked.

 

 

“He’ll probably get community service.” Nicole said. “And depending on how Nedley handles it all, he might not even get into the academy if he has a record.”

 

 

“At least you won’t have to deal with him there, right?” Waverly said, elbowing her. “Although I wouldn’t mind seeing you kick his ass at everything.”

 

 

“I uh… about that.” Nicole said, running a hand through her hair; she really needed to cut it again, it was getting too long for her liking. “I’m not going.”

 

 

“Wait, what?” Waverly’s eyes widened at the revelation. “What do you mean you’re not going? Nic, you’ve wanted this since we were little.”

 

 

Nicole shrugged, “Things changed. I lost interest in a lot of the things I used to love. It’s just... it’s not what I want right now.”

 

 

“So, are you going to go to school?” Waverly asked. “Work for your parents?”

 

 

Nicole shrugged once more, “I have no idea. Honestly, I really loved traveling with Wynonna. I might do that for a while after we graduate.”

 

 

“You’re going to leave again?” Waverly asked, a frown on her face.

 

 

“I might.” Nicole said. “I’ve seen so many places outside of Purgatory that I love, and I wouldn’t seeing them again. All I know for sure is that I don’t want to work for my parents, I never have.”

 

 

“Do they know that?” Waverly asked, pushing her glasses back up.

 

 

“I think they do, they just never bring it up.” Nicole said. “I don’t know. We still have a little while to decide and-”

 

 

“But you’re Nicole Haught, you’re a planner.” Waverly said. “You plan everything down to the last detail.”

 

 

“I used to.” Nicole said. “Now I kinda just go for it.”

 

 

“What about… uh… um…”

 

 

“Us?” Nicole asked knowingly. “Whatever happens, we’ll make it work.”

 

 

“How do you know?” Waverly asked, uncertain. “What if we end up on opposite sides of the country? Or even the world?”

 

 

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I want you.” Nicole said simply. “Whether you’re at University or I’m traveling, it won’t matter because I’ll still come home to you. Always.”

 

 

Waverly bit her lip, a shy smile playing at her lips, “I don’t deserve you.”

 

 

“Shut up.” Nicole said, shoving the brunette gently. “I’m trying to put the past behind us, can’t you? What happened to starting over?”

 

 

“Sorry.” Waverly sighed, “I’m sorry, I’m trying, really. It’s just hard.”

 

 

“I know you are, Wave.” Nicole said as she rolled off the mattress, “But we have to let go of the past, so we can make way for our future, right? You can’t keep stressing out and letting the guilt consume you, or else we’ll never work.”

 

 

“You’re just so sweet and I can’t help the guilt that I feel.” Waverly said with a frown when she realized Nicole had stood up. “Did I upset you? Shit Nicole, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to leave.”

 

 

“Calm down, baby.” Nicole said, the nickname slipping from her lips easily. “We’re going for a ride.”

 

 

“What? No, we aren’t.” Waverly said, eyes wide. “It’s going to snow and… Nicole Mackenzie Haught, did you ride your motorcycle here knowing the roads might get bad? Because if you did-”

 

 

“I brought my car, don’t worry.” Nicole said, pulling the keys to her Audi out to prove to her she was telling the truth. “I’m not that stupid.”

 

 

Waverly’s rolled her eyes, “We’re still not going out. I’m warm and I’m comfortable and I’m not about to go out into that weather.”

 

 

“Even if it means going to your favorite restaurant?”

 

 

Waverly narrowed her eyes, “Are you trying to bribe me?”

 

 

“I don’t know, maybe.” Nicole shrugged. “Come on, it’s not even supposed to snow until after midnight. We’ll be fine. Besides, if it does get bad, we can just get a hotel in the city.”

 

 

“Why do you always want to go out?” Waverly asked as she reluctantly got out of bed and went over to her closet to look for a change of clothes.

 

 

“Because you’re lookin’ so good and I know if I stay in this room with you another minute longer I’m gonna do somethin’ we’ll both regret.” Nicole said; they had sworn to not have sex until they were fully ready. “I love when you’re in your glasses and your hair is up, you know it drives me fuckin’ crazy.”

 

 

Waverly blushed at the comment and busied herself with finding warm clothes for the night, “Charmer.”

 

 

Nicole walked up behind her and dropped her hands onto her hips, “Just bein’ honest.” She said as she kissed her neck. “You should wear the maroon sweater, you always look good in maroon.”

 

 

Waverly hummed and leaned into Nicole’s touch, “Do you notice your accent really comes out when you’re flirting?”

 

 

“No, it doesn’t.” Nicole said with a shake of her head as she reached into the closet to grab the sweater she suggested. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

 

Waverly pulled her t-shirt off and grabbed the sweater from Nicole’s hands before slipping it onto her body, “Mhm, sure you don’t.”

 

 

“I don’t even have an accent.” Nicole handed Waverly a beanie and her favorite scarf. “Also, I’m not flirting with you.”

 

 

Waverly grabbed a jacket from the back of her closet and pulled it onto her shoulders before making her way towards the door, “Whatever you say, Nicky.”

 

 

“I hate that nickname.” Nicole paused, noticing the jacket Waverly put on. “Are you god damn kidding me, woman?”

 

 

“What?” Waverly asked, turning to look at Nicole. “What? You always let me call you Nicky, you tell me I’m the only one that’s allowed to.”

 

 

“No, not that.” Nicole said, waving her off; she pointed at Waverly’s jacket. “You’re telling me I’ve been looking for that jacket for almost a year and your ass has had it the entire time?”

 

 

“Oh.” Waverly laughed nervously. “I uh, I stole it.”  
  


 

“I see that.” Nicole said. “How the fuck did you manage that?”

 

 

“You left it here.” Waverly said. “It’s so comfy and it smelled like you. I didn’t have to heart to return it to you, it’s my favorite.”

 

 

“It’s eating you alive.” Nicole laughed, seeing how big it was on Waverly. “God, you’re really short.”

 

 

Waverly hit her in the chest, “Are we going for a ride or not because I am perfectly fine crawling back into my _warm_ bed and-”

 

 

Nicole cut her ramblings off with a kiss; she pulled away with a laugh and interlaced their fingers together, “You know, you talk too much.”

 

 

“ _Nicole_.”

 

 

Nicole held her hands up in defense, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll stop.”  
  


 

///

 

 

“Gus is gonna kill me.” Waverly said, trudging through the several inches of snow that was still left on the Homestead from two days earlier so she could get to the front porch.

 

 

“I’m sure she’ll understand.” Nicole said, following after her. “It snowed, we got stuck in the Big City. I don’t think she’s gonna be upset that we got a hotel and-”

 

 

“Waverly Earp, it’s about time you got home.”

 

 

Waverly sighed and looked up at Gus, a guilty smile on her face, “Hey Gus.”

 

 

“Don’t ‘hey’ me.” Gus said, arms crossed tightly over her chest. “I think it’s about time we talk.”

 

 

“I guess that’s my que to leave…”

 

 

“Don’t you go anywhere, Nic.” Gus said, nodding into the house. “Both of you, come on, I’ve got a fresh apple pie just out of the oven.”

 

 

Nicole looked to Waverly, “I uh-”

 

 

Waverly shrugged and pulled Nicole into the house and to the kitchen. She sat down at the table and looked up at Gus, “I’m sorry we got stuck in the city but I did call you and let you know and-”

 

 

“What in the world are you two doin’, hmm?” Gus asked as she gave them each a slice of pie. “Because I care about you and I don’t want you getting’ hurt again. You’ve been miserable the past few months and I don’t want you rushin’ into somethin’ if you aren’t sure you’re ready.”

 

 

“We’re fixing things.” Waverly said. “It’s what we want.”

 

 

“We’re takin’ it slow, Gus.” Nicole promised. “We’re starting over.”

 

 

“Have you thought about your future?” Gus asked. “What you want from each other? What you plan to do when you graduate? Have you truly sat down and talked about all the things that happened over the summer?”

 

 

“We’re working on it.” Waverly said, dropping her hand onto Nicole’s thigh. “We’re not rushing into it, I promise.”

 

 

“I love you two so much and I can’t stand to see you in the pain you were in again.” Gus said. “Since you were little kids, I thought you were a perfect pair. I just want you to make sure you’re both not trying to force things.”

 

 

“We’ve set boundaries.” Nicole assured. “I just… We’re takin’ it slow.”

 

 

“Okay.” Gus said, hands up in understanding. “I had to be a parent and ask the tough stuff, make sure you were alright.”

 

 

“Thanks Gus.” Waverly said, reaching over to kiss her cheek. “For caring.”

 

 

“Of course, kid.” Gus said with a smile as she stood up and made her way over to the fridge. “Nicole, you stayin’ for dinner?”

 

 

“Uh-”

 

 

“You can if you want to.” Waverly said, smiling up at her. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you.”

 

 

“You just spent two days together.” Wynonna said as she walked into the room, a disgusted look on her face. “How much time do you need together.”

 

 

Nicole rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Waverly, “I’d love to, but I really could use a set of clean clothes.”

 

 

“Waverly has a dresser full of all the clothes you left here.” Wynonna said, sitting across from them. “Wear those.”

 

 

Waverly glared at Wynonna, “Shut. Up.”

 

 

“You kept my clothes?” Nicole asked, a flutter in her chest.

 

 

“Well, yeah.” Waverly said, meeting her eyes. “I wouldn’t throw your things away, I’m not that shitty.”

 

 

“I’ll stay.” Nicole said, “If you really want me to.”

 

 

“I want you too.” Waverly said, standing up. “Come on, I’ll show you where your clothes are.”

 

 

Nicole nodded and followed after her, “It’s cute, you know.”

 

 

“What?” Waverly asked, glancing back at her before she continued her way up the stairs to her room.

 

 

“That you kept my stuff.” Nicole said, pulling Waverly into her as soon as they reached the top of the steps. “I would’ve thought you would’ve gotten rid of everything.”

 

 

Waverly turned in her arms, a frown on her face, “Why would I do that? It’s the only stuff I had of you after you left.”

 

 

Nicole wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly. “I dig it.”

 

 

Waverly laughed, “You’re such a nerd.”

 

 

Nicole shrugged, “Yeah, but I’m your nerd.”

 

 

“You most definitely are.”

 

 

 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

“I got in!” Waverly squealed, stumbling into the Homestead with a stack of torn open envelopes in her hands. “I… I applied to them all and I got in!”

 

 

“Uh, what the hell are you ramblin’ about, baby girl?” Wynonna asked, words muffled by the donut in her mouth.

 

 

Gus swatted her with a dish rag and looked to Waverly, “Where’d you get in?”

 

 

“Everywhere!” Waverly said, throwing the letters onto the kitchen table. “I applied to six different schools over the summer and I got into every single one of them! These are the early acceptance letters too!”

 

 

Wynonna grabbed for the letters, flipping through each and every one of them, her eyes growing wide, “Hot damn, Wave! UCLA, UCalgary, Columbia, NYU, Princeton, Berkley? Holy fuck, you applied to all of these?”

 

 

“Wynonna.” Gus scolded.

 

 

Wynonna waved the older woman off, “Gus, Gus, this is a huge moment in baby girl’s life, okay? Let me have my moment.” She looked at Waverly, “Which one are you gonna choose?”

 

 

Waverly slipped into one of the empty chairs, “I uh, don’t really know. I mean, I don’t have to choose right now, do I?”

 

 

Gus shook her head, “It’s only mid-December, I’m sure you’ve got lots of time to decide.”

 

 

“If I were you, I’d get the hell as far away from here as I possibly could and never look back.” Wynonna said. “You’re much more than this small ass town.”

 

 

“But I’ve never left Purgatory.” Waverly said, her voice small, unsure.

 

 

“So? Don’t let that stop you.” Wynonna said. “The world has so much to offer.”

 

 

“For once, Wynonna’s right.” Gus said, “I’ve never let this county and sometimes I regret it. I love the people here, this is my home, but I always wonder what the rest of the world is like. If you want to leave, to see what the world has to offer, now is time.”

 

 

“You’re here.” Waverly said to them. “Jeremy and Chrissy and… and Nicole.”

 

 

“If they truly love you and want the best for you, they’ll support you.” Wynonna said, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. “Besides, isn’t Jeremy going to MIT and Chrissy taking a gap year? They’re doing what they want, so should you.”

 

 

“But…”

 

 

“Nicole will support you, no matter what.” Wynonna assured her. “And if she doesn’t, I’ll kick her ass. At the end of the day, it’s four years, what’s a little distance if you decide to leave?”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “I guess.”

 

 

“There’s no rush.” Gus said, making her way back over to the stove to check on dinner, “You have time to decide and you can do what’s best for you. Wynonna and I are here to help you, if you need it.”

 

 

Waverly smiled softly, “Thank Gus.”

 

 

“Of course, sweetie.” Gus said. “That’s what I’m here for.”

 

 

///

 

 

“Whoa.” Nicole said, jaw slack as she stared at the papers in front of her, “Just whoa.”

 

 

“Are you… uh… okay?” Waverly asked nervously as she rocked on the balls of her feet as she watched the redhead. “I uh…”

 

 

“You got into all of these?” Nicole asked.

 

 

“Yep!” Waverly said, unable to hide the excitement from her voice. “They accepted me early. Can you believe it?”

 

 

“I’m proud of you.” Nicole said, finally meeting her eyes, “So god damn proud, baby.”

 

 

Waverly’s heart fluttered at the words and took a step closer to Nicole; they still weren’t officially together but things had picked up a lot recently. “Really?”

 

 

“Of course.” Nicole said, tossing the acceptance letters onto Waverly’s desk before she dropped her hands onto Waverly’s hips. She smiled down at her, “Mhm. My girl’s gonna be successful as hell and I couldn’t be happier.”

 

 

Waverly blushed at Nicole’s possessive words, she loved when Nicole claimed her, “But the distance and…”

 

 

“No, don’t do that.” Nicole said, dropping her forehead onto Waverly’s. “Don’t try and talk yourself out of something you’ve always wanted. Whether you choose Calgary or one of these other schools, it doesn’t matter. There are these things that fly in the sky, you know, they have wings and can get you to where you need to be-”

 

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and slapped her chest, “You’re such a smartass.”

 

 

Nicole laughed, “I’m sorry, baby, but I had to.”

 

 

“I’m just worried.” Waverly sighed and pulled away from Nicole. “We’re not even together and we’re only now starting to get as close as we used to be and-”

 

 

“Waverly…”

 

 

“I don’t want me going to school to ruin us.” Waverly said. “Distance is hard, and I know you don’t trust me completely so what if you think I cheat on you or whatever? I mean, I can’t blame you because of what I did to you but, I don’t know, I just-”

 

 

Nicole grabbed Waverly by the wrist and pulled her to the bed, pushing her gently onto the mattress. She crouched down in front of her and cupped her cheeks, “Wave, stop it, okay? I know you and you’re trying to talk yourself out of deciding because you’re afraid of hurting us. Gus, Wy, we’re all going to support you, no matter what.”

 

 

“But…”

 

 

“As for the not being together thing.” Nicole continued, ignoring the brunette’s need to ramble. “Why don’t we change that?”

 

 

“What?” Waverly asked, her heart skipping a beat.

 

 

Nicole shrugged, “Why the hell not? You’re mine and I’m yours, why don’t we put a label on it? You’ve proved you’re sorry and-”

 

 

Waverly didn’t give Nicole a chance to finish, she tackled the older girl to the ground and kissed her hard. She pulled away with a huge smile, “I love you.”

 

 

“Yeah?” Nicole asked, a smile playing at her lips.

 

 

“God damn right, Haught.” Waverly kissed her once more before she adjusted herself in her lap. “About time you made things official.”

 

 

“I was going to wait until Christmas and do some grand gesture, but you were startin’ to freak out and I wanted to give you some reassurance. I’m here, whatever you choose.” Nicole said. “We still have a long time to figure things out, but we will, alright?”

 

 

Waverly hummed and buried her face in Nicole’s neck, “If you say so.”

 

 

///

 

 

“You really okay with Waves leavin’ us?”

 

 

Nicole turned to look at Wynonna, having known she would’ve shown up at their spot, the one that looked over the whole town. “If that’s what she wants, yeah.”  
  


 

“That’s not what I asked.” Wynonna said, dropping down next to her in the grass. “You put a ring on it, you have to have an actual opinion on the matter.”

 

 

“I didn’t put a ring on her.” Nicole said, rolling her eyes. “I just made things official.”

 

 

“Fucking finally, dude.” Wynonna said, grabbing one of Nicole’s cigarettes; she shivered as the wind blew. “God, why didn’t we ever choose a place for winter? It’s cold as balls out here.”

 

 

“We were fifteen and wanted to be cool.” Nicole said; she looked at Wynonna. “Waverly is more than this town and I hope she gets the courage to leave, even if it’s only for a bit.”

 

 

“Would you go with her?” Wynonna asked. “If she went to school far away?”

 

 

“Honestly?” Nicole shook her head. “Not for a while. I want Wave to experience the world for herself, without having to worry about either of us. I want her to make her own friends, her own memories. I want her to have her own life without me.”

 

 

“Does she know that?” Wynonna asked. “I mean, you just went through the hardest year of your lives and you’re finally in a good place.”

 

 

“When the time comes to discuss everything, I’ll talk to her.” Nicole said. “Hell, I don’t even know what the fuck I’m doin’ with my own life at the moment. Stop tryin’ to rush me, Earp.”

 

 

“I just need to know if I’ve gotta pack my shit too.” Wynonna said. “I don’t have shit here without you guys.”

 

 

Nicole punched her shoulder, “Fuckin’ softy.”

 

 

“Tell anyone and I’ll kill you.” Wynonna said, tossing her cigarette butt over the cliffside. “So, how does it feel to finally be off the market? You guys already planning a wedding, babies?”

 

 

Nicole’s eyes grew wide and her cheeks flushed red, “Wynonna.”

 

 

“God knows you two have so much sexual tension between you that you probably _could_ create a miracle baby.” Wynonna laughed maniacally. “You’re both so pent up, it’s hilarious.”

 

 

“I hate you.” Nicole grumbled.

 

 

“Nah, you don’t.” Wynonna said, pulling the redhead into a hug. “You love me, Haught. You don’t know what you would do without me. You’d die without me, you’d probably-”

 

 

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Nicole shoved her off, “Keep goin’ and I’ll tell you all the places your sister likes to be-”

 

 

“If you finish that sentence I will throw your ginger ass off the cliffside and not even feel bad about it.” Wynonna said. “I’ll gladly turn myself into Nedley too.”  
  


 

“I walked in on you and Doc last year.” Nicole said. “My shit doesn’t compare to the weird ass stuff I saw; I swear I’ll never be the same.”

 

 

Wynonna shrugged, “He doesn’t look like it but he’s hella flexible.”

 

 

Nicole grimaced, “Too much, Wy.”

 

 

“Oh, come on.” Wynonna said. “We’re best friends, we’re supposed to talk about this stuff.”

 

 

“I ate your sister out on the kitchen counter one time.” Nicole said, matter of fact. “Right. Next. To. Your. Donuts.”

 

 

Wynonna gasped, “Not the powered ones!”

 

 

Nicole nodded, “God damn right.”

 

 

Wynonna jumped up, grabbing frantically for her bike helmet, “Nope, I’m out. I did not sign up to hear about how you two bang each other. Nope, fuck no. I’d rather stab myself in the ears and bleach my eyes.”

 

 

“Dramatic much?” Nicole asked as she stood up; she zipped her leather jacket to try and warm up a little.

 

 

“Proudly so.” Wynonna said, matter of fact. “I’m going to go… anywhere but here.”

 

 

Nicole laughed, “You’re such an idiot.”

 

 

Wynonna turned her bike on and revved the engine, “What? I can’t. I can’t hear you? If you’re talkin’ about bangin’ my sister, I can’t hear you!”

 

 

Nicole shook her head and flipped Wynonna off as the brunette started to back up towards the main road, “Drive safe, fucker!” She yelled over the engine.

 

 

///

 

 

Nicole made her way to the Homestead, careful to not slip or slide on the ice as she drove through the empty roads of Purgatory. It was late Christmas night and she was trying her best to get to her girlfriend although it was taking much longer than it usually would. The two girls had decided early on to spend the first part of the holiday with their families and then meet up later to exchange gifts and end the day together.

 

 

The redhead pulled onto the Earp property and parked her car behind Waverly’s jeep. She barely had time to get out of her car before she was being shoved into the driver side door, Waverly hanging onto her back, “Hey there, baby.”

 

 

“Hi!” Waverly squeaked, peppering Nicole’s jaw with kisses. “I missed you.”

 

 

“You saw me sixteen hours ago.” Nicole said, turning to look at her girlfriend.

 

 

Waverly shrugged, “So? Am I not allowed to miss you?”

 

 

“I didn’t say that.” Nicole said, grasping Waverly’s thighs to hold her more securely. “It’s cute.”

 

 

“How was your day?” Waverly asked. “Did your sister announce another pregnancy again?”

 

 

“Actually no.” Nicole said as she made her way into the house, thankful for the warmth. She dropped Waverly gently onto the ground. “She announced a divorce.”

 

 

“Wait, really?” Waverly asked, surprised.

 

 

Nicole nodded, “Finally leavin’ that low-life piece of shit.”

 

 

“Does she really mean it this time?” Waverly asked. She knew Nicole’s sister had been threatening to get a divorce for a while now and was surprised she was really going to go through with it.

 

 

“Jake wanted to dress up as Elsa for Halloween and tossed around some homophobic shit.” Nicole said. “Apparently said some shitty things about me too.”

 

 

“Good for her.” Waverly said. “It’s only taken her ten years.”

 

 

“Enough about her and her train wreck of a life.” Nicole said, bending down to give Waverly a kiss in greeting. “Merry Christmas, love.”

 

 

“Merry Christmas.” Waverly beamed. “Did you have a good day?”  
  


 

“I did.” Nicole said, running her fingers through Waverly’s curls. “You?”

 

 

“It was nice.” Waverly said. “But it’s better now that you’re here.”

 

 

“Sap.” Nicole said, tapping her nose; she looked into the living room. “Where’s Wy?”

 

 

“I have no idea.” Waverly said, “She left with Dolls a little while ago?”

 

 

“And Gus?” Nicole asked.

 

 

“At Shorty’s.” Waverly said, “It’s just us.”

 

 

“You’re tellin’ me I get you all to myself?”

 

 

Waverly nodded, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s neck, “Yep!”

 

 

Nicole’s eyes darkened just a bit, “Well, I might have to make use of that.”

 

 

Waverly looked down, trying to hide her blush. “Flirt.”

 

 

“Guilty.” Nicole said, pulling gently at Waverly’s hands. “Come on, let’s go up to your room.”

 

 

“Eager much?” Waverly asked although she was already following after the taller girl upstairs to her room.

 

 

“No.” Nicole said honestly as she shut the door behind them; she turned to look at Waverly. “I want to spend time with you and I don’t want your family to interrupt us.”

 

 

“Wynonna will always find a way.”

 

 

“I’ll shove her down the stairs.” Nicole said as she pulled a small box from her jacket; she held it out for Waverly. “I got you something.”

 

 

Waverly glared up at her, “We said no gifts.”

 

 

Nicole shrugged, “I couldn’t help it.”

 

 

Waverly held up her hand and made her way to her closet, grabbing a decent sized box. She walked back over to the redhead and handed it to her, “I couldn’t either. Go on, open yours first.”

 

 

Nicole sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully unwrapped the box in her lap, trying her best not to tear the hard work Waverly put in to decorating her present. She tossed the wrapping paper onto the floor and pulled open the box, eyes growing wide at what was inside. “Baby, what-” She pulled her brand-new riding jacket out of the box and held it out in front of her. “It’s beautiful.”

 

 

“I didn’t know what to get you.” Waverly said, nervous. “I mean, I know you can probably get a much better one that’s a lot nicer but it’s all I could afford.”

 

 

“Wave, stop. This is more than perfect.” Nicole said, taking in the beauty of the jacket; it was a black Dainese Super Speed Textile Jacket with white and red along the arms and sides. “I love it.”

 

 

“R- really?” Waverly asked. “If you don’t, I understand-”

 

 

Nicole slipped the jacket onto her body and sighed at the comfort she felt, “Holy fuck, this is nice. I’ve been putting off buying a new jacket for a while now and I’m glad I did. Thank you.”

 

 

“Are you sure you like it because-”

 

 

Nicole grabbed her hands, squeezing them softly to reassure her, “I love it, I really do. I just wish you wouldn’t have spent so much on it.”

 

 

“It wasn’t that much.” Waverly lied.

 

 

“These jackets are cheap.” Nicole said. “You forget your talking to someone who loves all things bikes. Seriously Wave, thank you so much. I never wanna take it off.”

 

 

“I’m glad you like it.”

 

 

Nicole kissed her and nodded the box on the desk, “Your turn.”

 

 

Waverly nodded and grabbed the small box from off the dresser; she opened it and gasped at what was inside. “Oh my god.” She said, tears filling her eyes. “It’s. I. Nicole.”

 

 

“I’m sorry, is it too much?” Nicole asked, “Fuck, I thought it was a big step, but I saw it and the rest kind of fell into place. If you don’t like it I can return it?”

 

 

“No, no! Please don’t.” Waverly said, staring down at the necklace in her hands. It was a heart shaped white gold necklace with half of the heart covered with sapphire and the other half covered with garnet. Their birthstones. “I love it.”

 

 

“Really?” Nicole asked, hesitant.

 

 

“Will you put it on me?” Waverly asked, wiping at the unshed tears; this was the nicest gift anyone had ever given her. There had been so much thought put into it and she was even more in love than she was just seconds ago.

 

 

“Of course.” Nicole said, carefully taking the necklace from her girlfriend’s hands. She wanted until the shorter girl turned around before she fit it around her neck and locked it together. “There you go.”

 

 

“Thank you.” Waverly said, melting into Nicole’s arms that wrapped around her waist. “This is the nicest gift anyone’s ever gotten me.”

 

 

“Yeah?”

 

 

Waverly nodded, “Daddy and mama couldn’t really afford much for us and Gus just gets me books. I just can’t believe you did this for me.”

 

 

“I’d do anything for you.” Nicole said, kissing her cheek. “You deserve the world.”

 

 

“I really don’t.” Waverly said. “But I’m glad you think I do.”

 

 

Nicole hummed, content with where they were at right now; she could stay like this forever, in this moment and be completely fine with it.

 

 

“Hey Nic?”

 

 

“Yeah baby?”

 

 

“Not that I don’t think this is nice but I’m really gonna need you to take me to bed now.” Waverly said, grasping at Nicole’s hands around her waist, leading the lower. “Like, right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I say Merry Christmas, sorry not sorry if I offend anyone. I've always said it that way and don't think it's a big deal. Any who thanks for all the kudos, comments, etc. Ya'll da best.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

“So, what school have you chosen to attend in the fall?” 

 

Waverly, who was watching Nicole and Wynonna make a fool of themselves on the makeshift dance floor in the living room of the Homestead, turned to find Shae staring at her. “I’m sorry, what?”

 

“What school have you chosen?” Shae asked again, “Nicole told me that you were accepted into a lot of good colleges.”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Waverly said, “I mean, no. No, I haven’t chosen a school yet.”

 

Shae nodded, taking a sip of her drink, “I get it, it’s hard. Do you stay in your comfort zone? Near the people you know and love. Or, do you venture out on your own into the world and make a life for yourself? I myself have chosen Harvard.”

 

Waverly nodded, a bit confused as to why they were having a conversation at all. Outside of pleasantries and pointless conversations, the two girls never really spoke to each other. “Harvard is a good school.”

 

“Did you apply too and just not get in, or?”

 

Waverly shook her head, “I didn’t apply.”

 

“Oh, I see.”

 

“All the schools I did apply to though, I got in.” Waverly said proudly. “I just have to choose which ones best for me.”

 

“Are you prepared for the long distance if you choose to go outside of Purgatory? I’ve traveled a lot growing up and my relationships never worked out.” Shae said. “It’s really hard.”

 

“What do you-”

“Baby!”

 

Waverly turned around just in time to catch Nicole, who had tripped over her own two feet trying to get to her girlfriend. “How much have you had to drink, honey?” Waverly asked, Shae already forgotten behind her.

 

Nicole stared at her for a long while before she shrugged, unsure “I’ve had lots.”

 

Waverly smiled, running her fingers through bright red hair, “Are you having a good time?”

 

“I was… but then I missed my best baby so here I am!” Nicole said, leaning heavily into the younger girl’s chest. She sighed loudly and nuzzled further into the brunette. “You smell really nice. Did you know that?”

 

Waverly laughed and kissed the corner of her mouth, “You’re cute when you’re drunk.”

 

“You’re cute all the time.” Nicole stated, matter of fact. “And I can’t wait to marry you one day… and… and have a bunch of kids with you. Do you think 20 kids is too many?”

 

“Twenty?” Waverly asked, eyes wide.

 

Nicole laughed loudly and gave her a quick kiss. “No, no, no. I got jokes, Waves. I think six will be enough. Have a tiny army of cuties.”

 

“Sure, Nic, six it is.”

 

“Really?” Nicole asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. She almost fell backwards but Waverly grabbed her waist to keep her steady. 

 

“Careful, sweetie.” Waverly said, cupping her cheeks. “And no, not really. I’m not going to give you six children. That’s a lot of years of being pregnant. I’d miss my crop tops too much.”

 

Nicole hummed, dropping her head onto Waverly’s shoulder, “But you’d be the cutest pregnant person ever. And I would take care of you all the time, promise.”

 

“Okay, well, maybe we can talk about this more when you’re sober?” Waverly suggested. “You can barely stand right now, much less help plan our future.”

 

Nicole nodded, “If that’s what you want, my love.”

 

“Okay, gross.” Wynonna said, pushing her way between them. “Less being cute and in love and more drinking and partying. The night is young, bitches!”

 

“I don’t wanna drink anymore.” Nicole said, jutting out her bottom lip. “I wanna go to bed.”

 

Wynonna scoffed, “It’s barely midnight!”

 

Nicole shrugged, “That’s… that’s super late.”

 

“Look what you’ve done to her.” Wynonna said, turning to Waverly. “You’ve turned my best friend into an old lady. I don’t like this one bit.”

 

“Hey!” Nicole said, straightening up so she could look down at Wynonna. “I am not… I am not an old lady, okay? I just want my lady. Hop off my dick, man. I choose cuddles over you every time.”

 

Wynonna sighed loudly. “Fine, fine. Go be boring somewhere else.”

 

Nicole leaned down and gave her a sloppy kiss on her forehead, “You’re the bestest!”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Go before I vomit.” Wynonna said, waving them off. “Just keep it down, alright? I’m still trying to recover from last night.”

 

Waverly rolled her eyes and pulled gently at Nicole’s wrist, “Come on, Nic.”

 

“Yes, ma’am!” Nicole said, following after her girlfriend up the stairs. “Cuddle time!”

 

Waverly laughed as she led her towards her room, “Have I told you how much I love you?”

 

“Only every day.” Nicole said as she collapsed onto Waverly’s bed. “But you can tell me again.”

 

Waverly made her way over to the dresser to get them in their night clothes. She grabbed what she needed and turned to look at Nicole, only to see that the redhead was already sound asleep. She smiled softly and knelt down, kissing Nicole softly on the cheek. “I love you.” She whispered, pulling the covers over her girlfriend. “So, so much.”

 

///

 

“Uh, fuck. My head is killin’ me.” Nicole mumbled, voice hoarse from sleep as she pulled the blankets over her head to try and block out the morning sun. “I hate Wynonna.”

 

Waverly laughed from beside her, “Hangover from hell?”

 

“Hangover. From. Hell.” Nicole said as she looked to Waverly. “But seeing you has already made it so much better.”

 

“You’re such a flirt.” Waverly said, scooting closer so she could rest her head on Nicole’s chest. “Did you sleep okay?”

 

“I always sleep okay when I’ve got you by my side. “Nicole said as she wrapped her arms around Waverly’s small frame.

 

Waverly glanced up at her, “Such a romantic.”

 

Nicole shrugged, “Can’t help it when I’m with you.” 

 

Waverly smiled and curled further into Nicole, content with being in her arms. It was mornings like this, when they didn’t have anything planned for the day, when it was just the two of them, that Waverly loved the most. It was her favorite thing, waking up to messy red hair and strong arms wrapped protectively around her body, whispering sweet nothing into her ear.

 

“What’re you thinkin’ about, baby?” Nicole asked as she pressed a kiss to the top of Waverly’s head. 

 

“Do you really want six kids?” Waverly asked, adjusting herself so she could look into Nicole’s eyes. 

 

“Uh, six?” Nicole asked, eyes widening slightly, “I mean, I- that’s a lot.”

 

Waverly laughed, “You told me you wanted six kids last night. Well, you actually told me you wanted twenty but when I said no you said you wanted six. You said you wanted a small army.”

 

Nicole rolled her eyes, “Drunk me is a god damn mess.”

 

“Do you even want kids?” Waverly asked.

 

“With you? Definitely.” Nicole said. “When we’re older and more settled in our lives. I want us to buy a house in the country and invite our friends over for weekly dinners. I want us to get married and go on a vacation far, far away from her for our honeymoon. I want to raise a family and grow old with you, Waverly Earp.” 

 

Waverly hummed in agreement and kissed the underside of Nicole’s jaw. “So, no to the six kids?”

 

“I don’t want to sound selfish, six kids is a lot. Hell, I don’t even know if I want more than two.” Nicole said. “More kids means less time with you and I’ve already spent my fair share of time without you. Word of advice don’t listen to drunk me. Drunk me is a god damn mess.”

 

“I think she’s pretty cute.” Waverly said. “You turn into a giant puppy.”

 

“I do not.” Nicole grumbled. 

 

Waverly laughed, “Mhm, sure you don’t.” 

 

Nicole went to argue but decided against it, she would never win when it came to her girlfriend. “Alright, fine, whatever you say.” Nicole said, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “So, tomorrow’s the big day. Do you know which school you’re going to choose yet?”

 

“I think I’m going to choose Columbia.” Waverly said as she started to play with Nicole’s fingers. “I’ve been doing so much research and it seems like the best school for me. Wy says I’ll really like Manhattan.”

 

“I’m so proud of you, Wave.” Nicole said, a smile playing at her lips. “New York won’t know what to do with you. You’re gonna knock Columbia on its ass.”

 

“I’m allowed to live off campus.” Waverly said. “I know it’s a couple of months away, but I have a little bit of money saved up and I figured we could start looking for a place to rent? Wy is thinking of going with us too and-”

 

“Wave, baby, I uh… I don’t think going with you.”

 

Waverly looked at her, eyebrows knit in confusion, “What? What are you talking about?”

 

“I’m not going to follow you to school.” Nicole said, jaw clenched; she wasn’t ready to have this conversation yet. “Not for a while anyways.”

 

“What do you mean? Did you decide to go to school to be an officer after all?” Waverly asked, not understanding why Nicole wouldn’t go with her. 

 

“No, I… I don’t know what I’m going to do after I graduate.” Nicole told her. “All I know is that I want you to experience life and I feel like if I go with you, I’ll be holding you back. I want you to make new friends, to live a life outside of Purgatory. I can come see you whenever-”

 

“You just told me you don’t want to lose any more time with me and now you’re telling me you’re going to let me go to New York while you stay here?” Waverly asked as she got up out of bed. “What the hell, Nic!”

 

“Baby, I want you to see the world and-“

 

“Oh, cut the shit.” Waverly said. “I want to see the world with you! I want to go to New York with you. I want you and me and Wy to live in a shitty apartment together while I got to school and you two do whatever it is the heck you do!”

 

“Wave calm down.” Nicole said, standing up. “Please, it’s not set in stone, it’s just… it was an idea that I had. I don’t want to suffocate you, I don’t want to be like Champ who-”

 

“You’re nothing like him!” Waverly said. “You actually care about me, you love me! If I wanted to go to New York by myself I would tell you that, but I don’t want to. I want you to come with me, Nicole, I want you with me.”

 

“But I just feel like…”

 

Waverly made her way over to Nicole and she wrapped her arms around her neck. “I spent so many years denying how I felt about you. But now, I have you and I don’t want to be without you. We’ve already lost enough time. Please, will you come with me?” 

 

“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

 

“You’ve already told me the life you have planned out for us, so no, I won’t take no for an answer.” Waverly said, leaning up to kiss her softly. “I love you and I want to see the world with you, not without you. Besides, who else am I going to have as a hot date when I’m in a sorority?”

 

“You, in a sorority? Why am I not surprised?” Nicole said, dropping her hands to her waist. “Tell me, will there ever be a wet t-shirt contest for charity?”

 

Waverly swatted her chest, “Sororities aren’t like that, Nic.”

 

“Damn.” Nicole sighed, a playful glint in her eyes, “One could only dream.” 

 

“Alright love birds, you better have clothes on this time!” Wynonna said, storming into the room, a hand haphazardly covering her face. She sighed in relief when she saw that they were fully dressed. “Oh, thank fuck. Alright, come on, we gotta go.”

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Also, why are you awake? It’s barely ten.” 

 

“Everyone’s downstairs, we’re going into the city to get pancakes. Come on, let’s go.” Wynonna said, motioning towards the door. “Five minutes, no funny business.”

 

“Are you still drunk?” Nicole asked.

 

“Only a little bit.” Wynonna said as she made her way into the hallway. “Five minutes, bitches or we’re leaving without you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost done here! Got one more to go.


	15. Epilogue - 5 Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, ya'll. Thanks for all the likes, comments, kudos along the way. It's truly meant a lot to me. I'm sorry I disappeared for a while, life got busy. Hope you enjoy this last chapter.

“Come on, you can do this, it’s not that hard.” Nicole mumbled to herself as she paced the living room of the apartment she shared with Waverly. They’d lived there the last couple of years and although it was small, it was home. “You love her, she loves you. Stop being a little bitch and just do it already.”

 

 

“Who’s being a little bitch and what should they have already done?”

 

 

Nicole jumped, nearly tripping over the coffee table; she had been so lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear from the front door open. “Hey baby, how was your day” She asked softly, a smile on her face.

 

 

“It was okay.” Waverly sighed as she dropped her bags onto the floor before slipping into Nicole’s open arms. “Remind me again why I thought grad school was a good idea?’

 

 

“Because you’re Waverly Earp and you wouldn’t accept anything less.” Nicole said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Only three more years to go.”

 

 

“Charmer.” Waverly said, reaching up to kiss the redhead softly on the lips. “I missed you today. How was work?”

 

 

“I almost got shot but other than that, it was fine.” Nicole shrugged, nonchalant.

 

 

“Excuse me?”

 

 

Nicole waved her off, “Fuckin’ Lonnie thought I was one of the runners and shot at me. Thank God I’m quick on my feet. Never dropped so fast in my life.”

 

 

“I honestly don’t understand how that man is still employed.” Waverly huffed. “I don’t have to worry about any bad guys taking you away from me when you’ve got an entire department that can’t do shit!”

 

 

“Hey, I’m part of that department.” Nicole pouted.

 

 

“And you’ll be Sheriff one day, just you watch.” Waverly said as she slipped her hands under Nicole’s button up. “You’ll be so sexy, all in charge.”

 

 

“Are you only with me for my uniform, Waverly Earp?” Nicole teased, hands on her hips. “Is that it?”

 

 

“I knew it was a matter of time before you found out.” Waverly said, fingers dancing up toned abs. “First, you’re all leather and being a badass and now you’re in one of the hottest uniforms I’ve ever see and I just-”

 

 

Nicole kissed her once more, “You’re lucky I love you.”

 

 

“That I do.”

 

 

“Not that I don’t love this, but-” Nicole removed Waverly’s hands from under her shirt. “We have reservations tonight.”

 

 

“We do? For what?” Waverly paused, trying to think of what was so special about today but couldn’t come up with anything. “It’s not our anniversary, or a birthday or…”

 

 

“I just wanna take my lady out after a long week.” Nicole said as she patted the brunette on the butt. “Come on, go get ready. We leave in an hour.”

 

 

“So bossy today.” Waverly said, eyes darkening a bit. “I like it.”

 

 

“Keep that for later.” Nicole said, nudging her towards their bedroom. “Go!”

 

 

“Fine, fine.” Waverly said, hands up. “I’m going, I’m going.”

 

 

///

 

 

“No, no freakin’ way!” Waverly gasped as she hit slapped Nicole in the arm, her eyes wide. “You did _not_ get reservations for Ghost River. What? How? When?”

 

 

Nicole shrugged as she pulled up to the valet, “I have my ways.”

 

 

“They’ve been booked out for months! I was gonna try to get this for our anniversary but there’s nothing until early May!” Waverly said, completely baffled as one of the valet’s opened her door for her.

 

 

Nicole handed the keys to one of the workers and held out her hand for her girlfriend, “I told you, baby, I have my ways.”

 

 

Waverly tucked herself into Nicole, still unable to comprehend everything. Ghost River was one of the newest restaurants in town and unless you were either wealthy or extremely important, you could hardly get a reservation. “I just can’t believe it.”

 

 

“We’re back here.” Nicole said, leading the brunette through the building and towards the back where she had reserved a private room for them.

 

 

Waverly blinked. “You got us a private room?”

 

 

“Yep.” Nicole said, nodding towards the door. “After you, love.”

 

 

Waverly stepped into the room only to stop dead in her tracks. Sitting at the table in front of her was everyone important to her: Wynonna, Gus, Chrissy, Jeremy, Doc and even Xavier. She knit her eyebrows in confusion and turned to look at her girlfriend, only to gasp in surprise at the sight. “Nicole, what-”

 

 

Nicole was on one knee, a box in hand and the biggest smile on her face, “I know today isn’t a big day for us, well not yet anyways. But it’s the only time I could get everyone together and I wanted this to be special for you. You told me years ago that you would want your family here for this and well, here we are.”

 

 

“Yes!” Waverly squeaked, tears pooling in her eyes.

 

 

“Can I finish my speech real quick, baby? I worked really hard on it?” Nicole asked, a smirk playing at her lips.

 

 

“Yes, yes of course.” Waverly said, motioning for her to go on. “Sorry.”

 

 

Nicole grabbed one of Waverly’s hands and kissed her knuckles softly. “We struggled to get here, more than most people do and although I hated what we went through together, I wouldn’t change it. We wouldn’t be us. We wouldn’t be Waverly and Nicole. Through all the heartbreak and tears, all the anger, it brought us back together. It made us see that we were meant to be together.

 

I don’t wanna live my life without you, ever. I want to grow old with you and have those six kids with you that you want.” Nicole paused, glaring at Wynonna who yelled at the number of said kids, before she turned her attention back to Waverly. “You make me happy, every single day. Waking up to you, coming home to you, it means more to me than you’ll ever know. And I know you’re still busy with school, so we don’t have to rush this but I really would love if you would be my wife?”

 

 

“Of course, a thousand times yes!” Waverly said, pushing Nicole to the ground from the force of her hug. “I’ll marry you tomorrow if you want!”

 

 

Nicole laughed, adjusting herself so she could open the box to show Waverly the ring. It was a simple princess cut with three diamonds, the middle one being bigger than the other two. “I know it’s not much but-”

 

 

Waverly wiped roughly at her eyes and she shook her head, “It’s perfect, Nic. I love it so much.” She said, “I love you so much.”

 

 

“I uh, I even got it engraved.” Nicole said, tilting it to where Waverly could see. “Where you go-”

 

“I go.” Waverly said in awe as Nicole slipped the ring onto her finger. “It’s perfect.”

 

 

“WOOOO!” Wynonna yelled, clapping her hands loudly as she tackled them both. She kissed them both on the cheek, “I just want to say that- that I am so happy for you mother fuckers. For so long, I thought I was going to have to call Champ Hardy my brother in law and now I will never have to. This is truly the greatest gift.”

 

 

Nicole laughed, shoving her best friend off of her, “You’re such an idiot, Wy.”

 

 

Wynonna hiccupped and shrugged, already a little bit tipsy. “Congratulations you beautiful lesbians you. Give me all the ginger babies to love because we all know that I will never have one of those little demons.”

 

 

Gus shook her head as she stepped over Wynonna to help the newly engaged couple up. She hugged them both, “Congratulations, you two. I know it took you a while to get to this point but I knew it would happen. You’re perfect for each other; anyone with eyes can see that. And as a gift to you, your uncle Curtis and I, God bless his soul, want to pay for your wedding.”

 

 

Nicole looked at her, eyes wide, “Gus, we couldn’t ask you to do that.”

 

 

Gus waved her off, “You ain’t gonna argue with me, girl. Love is so rare, so fragile. Take this gift, okay? I don’t wanna hear anymore about it. Got it?”

 

 

“Thank you, Gus.” Waverly said, kissing her cheek. “For all you’ve ever done.”

 

 

“We’re family.” Gus said, matter of fact. “You don’t gotta thank me.”

 

 

Gus moved to help Wynonna up off the floor and sat her down in one of the chairs, “So,” Wynonna said, “When you gonna pay for my wedding?”

 

 

“Let me see, let me see!” Jeremy practically squealed as he grabbed Waverly’s hand to look at the ring. “Oh my God, it’s perfect!”

 

 

“Told you it was the right choice.” Chrissy told Nicole, “Congratulations.”

 

 

“Thank you.” Nicole said, eyes unable to leave Waverly as she gushed over her new ring. “I don’t know why I was so nervous.”

 

 

“Because you’re an idiot, Haught.” Chrissy laughed. “She loves you just as much as you love her. You could’ve asked her in the middle of a mud field and she would’ve said yes.”

 

 

“I would have never done that to her, she deserves more than a half-assed engagement. She deserves the world.” Nicole said fondly. “She’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

 

 

///

 

 

Two hours later, Nicole and Waverly were standing outside on the private balcony, overlooking the quiet town in front of them. Their engagement party was still in full swing but they just wanted a few minutes to themselves, to take it all in.

 

 

“I still can’t believe you set all this up, just for me.” Waverly said, wrapping her arms around Nicole’s waist. “No one has ever treated me the way that you do. You make me feel unstoppable, like I can do anything in the world.”

 

 

“That’s because you can.” Nicole said. “With or without me, you _are_ unstoppable.”

 

 

“How did you even get Chrissy and Jeremy back to town?” Waverly asked, looking up at her new fiancée.

 

 

“They actually helped me set all of this up, being your best friends and all. Jeremy is dating the owner actually.” Nicole said. “Told you I had my ways.”

 

 

“I’m so very much in love with you.” Waverly said, kissing the taller girl softly. “I can’t wait to marry you. I can’t wait to have your babies.”

 

 

Nicole’s heart fluttered in her chest, “Years ago, I would’ve never thought tonight would’ve been possible. Yet here we are.”

 

 

“We’re Waverly and Nicole, remember? Even with all of the ups and downs, we were meant to be.” Waverly said, twisting the ring on her finger. “I might’ve been a little out of reach at the time, but I was always supposed to come back to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are going to Earp-A-Palooza, hit me up. My best friend and I are going and I'd love some new friends to meet there.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me at burn-the-empire.tumblr.com. I’m sometimes fun.


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